The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-11-04

fresh milk and butter to the whole Popula-
ton.
There are nearly 400 workIncn in Pull
man industries. and more than 1908 in Pull
mans car works alone. One-half Of thess
workmen are foreigners, but they are for the
most part skilled artisans and men Of intelli-
gsnce Their wages rank as high, at least, as
thOse Of wCrkInen in similar lines throughout
the country. Men in the hammer shop earn
$40 dav, carvers g, decorators $50 to
So.2j. scIpers and gilders $3.50 To 81, and
simple labyrers Sl.2j 10 $40 The average
earnings Of the operatives laborers included,
was q little les tnan 500 Tor each man dur
iqg last year
Ihese wOrEInen are as much a stock III
trade with the Pullman company a. the
coaches which traverse the earth or the ma
chineTy which turns out freight cars for the
great railways at the rate Of thirty a day.
The workman inhabit Pullman houses. pay
Pullman rent. therefore. and make up the COM
muIity which renders the gas works, the
water works. the garden and the dairy farm
profitaDle-which PAYS the rental Of the
stores, Offices and theatre in the Arcade. Of
the stalls in the market houses and supports
the churches and school buildings which Pull
man owns and leases for public Uses.
Pullman as an industrial enterprise must
not only have work to do and wOrkmen, but
all the men must be kept reasonably
busy, else the inhabitants will seek employ
ment elsewhere and the houses will stand va
cant and loss result to the one real owner
the place boasts of. Here il a feature Of in
dustrial Pullman which most cities nave Gvei
looked. The worknen and their families are
the wards Of the proprietors, and their prop
erty is his. The risk is the owners, too, and
upon his success in keeping the wheels turn
ing and the hands employed depends his own
hope Of profit. Long continued id!eness Of
even portion Of the employees would he dis
astrous to the interests Of the proprietor.
The result Of this unique relationship be-
tween employer and men has already borne
fruit in extraordinary executive energy and
in most admirable understanding as to
wages. The piece" system prevails as to full
twO-thirds Of the work done, and prices are
50 acceptably scaled that, in the words of an
employe, "a good man is bound to make the
money and an inefficient man will not find it
10 his Interest TO remain in the town" As
there is 10 idleness anywhere visible but evil
dences OF prosperity on every hand. it Is fair
to presume that the good men largely pre-
dominate, and that the wages are satisfac-
tory. But this is not ALL The piece scale is
a sliding one. When Pullman, for instance,
finds it necessary, in order to secure work for
the plant and men, to take contracts at
figures lower than any other bidder, the
piece scale is cut accordingly. If, on a sue
ceeding contract, better prices are obtained
by the company, the earnings of the men are
correspondingly increased. Thus, not long
ago, the freight car shops of these works
turned out several thousand cars at cost to
the purchaser said to have been lower than
cars of like pattern had ever been made for
in this country.
In order to make sure of employment for
his tenants Pullman not only constructs and
repairs his own sleeping coaches but builds
passenger, freight, express, postal and pri-
vate cars in large quantities He also
street cars, and has
even built houses and engaged in
a general line of carpentry work. In
this field his methods were rather interesting
and characteristic of the enterprise which is
associated with his name. During Chicago's
recent building boom several competent men
were constantly employed making bids on
the specifications of architects, securing many
Then a small army of men were
yet at work in the shops here preparing, I'M
Ter the most favorable circumstances and
With all the advantages of machinery and ap-
)lianceS, every piece of timber set down in
he architects bills When finished the whole
vas transported to the site, and the erection
here made so quickly as to astonish all be-
FOLDERS. Under Pullmans master hand large
houses grew full-sized and well-nigh perfect
ilmost in a night. At times 500 men have
'een emp. we'd in this building and carpentry
Department. In addition to these ard the
'ther enterprises already mentioned, which
ire directly or indirectly under Pullman's
control, there are extensive brickyards which
mploy men in summer and ice houses to give
hem work in winter.