Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-07-17
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Are We \oi Favored,

Nl,n We cltfttt What We IN
llrih lou,,c g. T." hlri Tunes ga
tie raad Coast with w., condition
~ lhinr. east - the l,lrtN Noun
taIns. % cannot he 4 sint, thai we
have cause TT honttf,'t en- 'r,tulr
tom Scarcely month has ella, sod
.ilco tho Vcnt began that We have
MT read of strikrs 81 workman ~
a." leading Industries throughout
tho t'nuu lLeN commenced with
the tfhts If railroad employees On
tho trunk lines 81 prevent u rcduc
uun Il i0icc, and was followed ~
tho street car RIOTS ~ New Orleans
against an increase Of hlur without
all advance ~ wages aul this was
soon followed 10y the combined effort
~ IRON workers aud factory opera
tives 10 MAINTAIN u reasonable com.
pensaiion for an ordinary DAY la
hor. Tho strike ~ the ar-irIvefs.
Just ended "a I hicago, illustrates the
fuiility of magnify ~ 'i.sc on
,leavors 10 maintain far equivalent
for tho life blood which keeps the
human machine IN motion. They
returned Ia work Al n IN form rate
~ ti2 per week Tor seven days la
Dor of seventeen hours each, with
but two intstinis=ious each day Of
twenty minutes Tor meals Even nj
this rate. We are told that there were
n dozen applicants for every place
A we'll known business man ~ Port
lsnd. Who has just returned from the
East. informs the OrcgonidH that
~ tho interior tho situation ~ even
worse than IN tho cities. lie says
that field labor during harvest IN
central Indiana aud Illinois Is pal,l
barely ninety cents per day, the la
borets finding their own boarl
During other seasons when the 10.
maud Tor labor is not So urgent tho
rate IL even lower These unparal.
lelled hard times are the consequence
% the general failure Of crop. in tho
Western States The prospect IL
gloomy beyond precedent. and there
IN danger 81 real distress during the
coming Winter
Here the crops ara unusually
promising Tho tn,on's report of
the yield u wheat on the Blalock
farm. Wslla wslls. last week. jus,i.
hes Mr.. Riiy's prediction that the
crop 81 the whole " Inland Empire"
this year will be by far the largest
and best ever grown The cereal
and other crops 81 Oregon and
Western Washington were never in
a more promising condition The
lumber trade on puge, Sound, IL not
brisk, IL at least 10 a very healthy
state The coal output IL steady
from all the mines hops are 10 their
prime. aud every branch 81 busin ~
seems 10 he slowly recovering from
the inertia which follows . prolonged
decline. The rates paid for labor
are, of necessity. lower than when
every industry was active. and each
felt tho stimulating influence OF n
harmonious aud steady advance. but
there are no real hardships. and no
complaint from those who manifest
. disposition 10 adapt themselves
10 the new order Of things. II the
labotsr does not receive the same
pay that he did . twslvs.no nth ago.
hls monsy goes much further In the
purchase OF nearly all staple sup
plies, aud he can save n. much with
equal labor nj the end OF he year,
unless . siltsdge tax roll, or few
special assessments ATE rung in on
him In the meantime.
Another interesting contrast IL If.
foried by = comparison Of to rates
paid unsk,llsd workmen nj the be-
ginning Of the present century and
the wages Of tho present day. A
historical excerpt going the rounds,
gives figures which would scarcely
be accredited. we're they not sub.
stantiated by unimpeacbable author
ity. We read that on the Pennsyl
vsnia canals the diggsrs ate the
coarsest diet. were housed In the
rudesi sheds. and paid air dollars q
month from May 10 November, aud
five dollars q month from Noysmbe,
10 May. Hod-csrriess aud mortar.
mixers. diggers aud choppers, who
from i7p3 10 1900, labored on IA.
public buildings aud cut to street.
aud avenue. 81 Washington city. re
osived seventy dollars . year, or. il
they wished. sixty dollars for all the
work they could perform from March
LIST TO December 10th The hour.
OF work were invariably from sunrise
to sunset. Wages at Albany and
New York we're three sbillings or
as money then went. forty cents q
day a, Lancaster. eight TO ten dol.
lara . month. elsewhere In Penus,l
vania workmen we're content with
ss dollars In summer and five m
winter. Al Baltimore men were
glad TO he hired at eighteen pence a
day None by the month asked
more than AIN dollars. Al FEEDER
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