The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-11-18
SALARIES IN NEW YORK.

OAIAHteS IN NEW YORK.
The Regular P1ttance Earned by
Clerks and salosmen-wages Of
Work1ng.Women.
Comptroller Loew has announced that
hereafter he will not pay any part of a
clerks salary to the loan brokers, who
have so long fattened on this kind of
usury, says New York letter to The
Utica Herald. The pressure to which
'alaried men are subject makes them
.sccssant borrowers, and after they
have run in debt elsewhere as much as
possible they apply to the salary brok-
ers. class which has reached perma-
nence, if not responsibility. Some OF
this number limit loans to S. or $40
month, and find their customers in re-
tail clerks. Others hang round the post
office and city hall and deal out large
sums, but the best pickings are found at
the custom-house, where most of the
officials live a month ahead and pay
large fees for cash advances. The sal
ary broker under such favorable Cir
cumstances can clear 81. 900 year. and
live in an easy manner on tho shaves
inflicted on others. When a clerks
wages are mortgaged q month ahead
he is so afraid that his employer will
find it out that he pays in self defense.
Secrecy, indeed, is of the highest iin-
portance, and hence all such transac-
tions are advertised as ''confidcntial.
This fact has lead Comptroller Leow to
his determination to oppose the ruinous
system. He will pay no more salary Or
ders to brokers and if any order is
presented it will not be paid until
m explanations il given why per-
sonal application is not made. 1t
is one of the common complaints
among salaried men that they cannot
live on their income. No wonder, for
New York salaries are very low COM
pared with expenses. Clerks in retail
stores get from IS to $15 week and
the latter is paid only to the best sales
men. Book-keepers receive from $500
to $1,000, though few favored men in
fat places get 1900 year. Situations
in the post-otfice at $500 arc in great
demand, and clerksbips in public Offices
at 81, 500 are among the spoils of party
success. Such a berth, indeed, is often
sought for by bribery-that is by pay
ing SIS week bonus for the appoint
ment. Now, when you consider that
set of apartments cost 500. and that
fat three stories high rents from s35
to $40 a month, it is not surprising
that salaried men should be almost al
ways in debt. There has been for Sow
eral years reduction in salaries of all
kinds. owing to severe competition in
trade. Among the poorest paid class
of men is the gatemen at the elevated
road, who only get 1926 day, and yet
many of them are married. There is a
great pressure, however, to get even
such petty berths, and New York. in
deed contains such an immense num-
Der of people in search Of work, that
the very smallest salaries are accepted.
Multitudes of young men are now
tempted to come to this city by the adj
vertisements for clerks, book-kcepers,
statesmen. and other help, most of
which is a mere decoy. The object of
the advertisers are to fleece the unwary
and they find their most facile victims
in country youths. Hero is a sample
of some Of these decoys:
"A first-class salesman of pleasing
address, who can loan $1,000 on un-
doubted security, is wanted to solicit
orders for an established firm. Salary
500 per month, or liberal CON-
mission. Address Business, box
office.
"A partner wanted with $500. An
educated young man in the auction.
real estate, and store agency. letting
and collecting rents. Apply to P. g..
auctioneer,--Bowery."
The sole object of the advertiser is
to get possession of the victims, and
as this can not be done in a direct
manner little trickery is necessary
The applicant finds the ''business man"
in an Office where books are shown to
prove the profit of the proposed tran
saction, but after the money is paid it
does not take more than day or two
to reveal the fraud. Every dollar that
! the victim has invested is lost, and
when he applies to the police Office
more money is wanted. The police
will not trouble themselves with such
matters without pay, for they know
that nothing will be got out of the
knaves, and at last the poor dupe will
find himself left to make the most out
of his costly experience. Such cases
are occurring daily, and this will con.
tinue as long as the supply of green.
horns is unexhausted.
One of the most painful features in
metropolitan life is the degradation Of
women. l do not here refer to any.
thing of vicious nature, but simply
to the effect of extreme poverty. 1t il.
always pitlable to see the sex forced ia
unfeminine employments, but it is .
common thing here. I have seen q
woman cutting grass with sickle IN
an uptown lot in order to make hay for
the winter support of goat have
seen a woman bring home board from
some demolished building and then tr,
to break it up for fuel by pounding il
on the sidewalk with a stone. I saw
another woman carrying coal in pail
up three pairs of stairs to her room in
tenement house. She had bought
small load of this article and was thus
storing it away. A large part of the
chiffoniers or rag and waste-pape,
pickers are women, and what horrid.
looking creatures they are! On the
other hand, adealcr in fashions told me