St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-26
WINTERS HARDSHIPS.
IN A,Dly of Idle Hen and Women In Netv
York CifI

an A,.n,y of Idle Hen and Women IL. Ne,v
York City.
1t is estimated, at the lowest calculation,
that there are $1,000 men and women idle in
New York City, which means at least 81, 900, :
900 week lost in wages. 1t also means
poverty and consequent crime in many cases,
and may mean pauperism and loss of self
respect. Over speculation and over produc-
ton, or unequal distribution, or under con-
sumption have caused the trouble, and I'M
settled the market Prominent workingmen
claim. and they also insist, that it is now a
question for the statesman and philosopher
to solve. During the cold days of last week,
with the thermometer nearly at zero and the
wind blowing a gale, your correspondent
found groups of men standing on nearly ev-
ery corner on West and South streets, five.
ten, fifteen in each group, while the saloons
contained
TWICE AND THRICE AS MANY MORE.
They were hardy-looking. strong fellows of
all ages waiting to be hired. All were long
shoremen. The European steamers were
over due and the rivers and canals were
numbering about three thousand men, and
there are about half as many non-union men.
Very few have steady work and pick up a job
wherever they can get a chance. A young
fellow standing with his hands in his pocket
and putting at a short pipe in his mouth was
asked the condition of affairs. While on the
river front your correspondent called in at the
labor bureau at Castle Garden and found
q =, 70
work.
Its the hardest winter I've seen since
1876" said Mr. VIM. Connolly the represen-
tative of the Irish Emigrant society. ''We
never had as much trouble to get employ
,nent for those who come here as now.'
Crossing the Battery park into Greenwich
street is found locality little frequented by
New Workers. The elevated railroads shut
out the daylight. The stores are devoted to
restaurants of all nations; sailors supply
stores and liquor saloons. The houses are
occupied by emigrants and ''employm ent
bureaus are in the Easements. There are
ten of these bureaus within block, and
their purpose is to
SUPPLY CHEAP EUROPEAN LABOR
to whoever wants it. Here may be seen the
Long Island OF Jersey farmer picking out his
mau as he did in the days of chattel slavery,
or sometimes the agent of a mine or railroad
corporation will come and leave his order for
Huns, Swedes or Italians. One OF the agents
of bureau was asked how many men he
could supply without going out of the city.
Without hesitation, he replied, ''twenty-
thousand" The population of the Sixth
ward at the last Census WAS 81 900, and not
less than that number now hudle in tene-
ments in the front and rear of all the streets.
Idleness, poverty. squalor and dirt are the
present characteristics. The man of all others
who could give any idea of the condition of
idleness among the Italian. community was
the missionary attached to the Five Points
house OF Industry.
''Thcre are at present about eleven thou
sand Italians in the ward, - he said. "There
are more now than i'm the summer, from the
fact that railway labor and outdoor work in
the country generally is
ATA sTkNpsTLL,
and men come into the city. Many of them
find odd jobs, such as street cleaning when
the snow falls, but the majority live on their
scanty savings. Their diet is a piece of
bread and an onion for breakfast and onion
aud piece of bread for dinner, and macaroni
for supper. ] estimate al the lowest calcutta
ton, that there are 5000 idle Italians
in this ward alone. There are about as many
more throughout the city. The association
for the improvement Of the condition Of the
poor received 5000 applications for
relief during the month Of January,
9G2 Of which they found deserving Of help.
They had $50 cases on their books on Jan. l,
which made total of / ,299 families, repre-
senting $685. persons. Last year, in the
same month, SO cases were on the
books. The character of those applying for
assistance has materially changed. These
are now more intelligent and evidently of a
better class Many Of them are American
born; others Of the better class are German.
Heretofore neither of these sought relief.
This Enthusiastically shows that the pinching
has begun to be felt by those who never
dreamed of such thing as asking for aims"
The same story was related by William
Blake Of the Department of Charities and
Correction. ''O1t Of the ten thousand appli-
cants for coal during the month Of January,
there were more Americans. During the
month of January between $4,000 and $4,000
lodgings were furnished at the station houses
In this city. On the night of the 10th. 3SS
men and 167 women were housed; on the
l4th, 800 men and 1Sj women; and on the
Goth. 800 men and lG2 women. These poor
creatures represented a clfss who could not
obtain the ten OF fifteen cents necessary to
secure lodgings in the cheap hotels on the
east side"
How lie Delivered the Mail.
4 Ne,y York letter carrier. arrested for his