Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-12
TEACHING BOYS TO WORK
What the State Board of
Trade is Now Doing.
HAS LOS ANGELES IDLE BOYS /?
What an Organization Could do for
the Benefit of the Boys and
of the Farmers.
HAS LOS ANGELES IDLE BOYS ?

ACloIonCo W Wudt Iuo CIdto DOdfu VI
Trade is doing in the way OF supplying
labor to the fruit-growers in the central
counties of the State. The San Fran
cisco Bulletin at that time contained an
elaborate account of this plan and its
practical working. This matter was
taken in hand last year after the passage
OF the Chinese exclusion act had, in a
measure, cut off the supply of Chinese
laborers. Ii the Mongolans are kept
out, perhaps the most important effect
Of Their exclusion will be the moral one
of teaching the youth of our own race to
work.
The first effort was made on Senator
Stanford's great grape ranch at Vina in
Tehama county. The Superinte ndent of
this vineyard entered heartily into the
scheme, co operating to the fullest ex-
tent with the State Board of Trade. 1t
was great experiment that was being
undertaken. The boys were to be gath
cred up in San Francisco from a class
that heretofore had done but little or no
manual labor. They had grown up in
absolute physical idleness. Their mus
cles were fabby and unfit for hard work,
and what little strength the boys had,
they did not know how to use.
Yet it was we'll known by those
who agreed to employ these boys that
they would have to pay them larger
wages than they had paid the Chinese,
although they would get less work out of
them. Another difficulty was that the
boys would be little obstreperous for
awhile, and still another was that they
would have to be boarded and lodged,
whereas the Cinnamon had taken care of
themselves in these respects. Yet the
scheme was undertaken, and last year
proved great success. 1t was agreed
that the boys were to get 81 day and
board for picking the fruit, while those
who were better grown and stronger
were to get $1.15 to $l25 for
boxing the fruit and loading the wagons.
The rates paid the Chinese had been 81
day, the coolies in all cases boarding
themselves. The boys in the main de-
yeloped much better traits than had
been anticipated. Once away from the
city and under even and firm discipline
they were quite manageable. The open
air, the steady work and good board
combined to keep them cheerful,
yet to tone down the over ex-
uberance of spirit begotten of
youth and idleness. The campaign
closed with the fall; the fruits had all
been picked, and the boys returned 10
their homes in excellent spirits, in per-
feet health, and with nice sum of money
in the pockets of each. They had in
many cases seen the country for the first
time, and in all cases they had been in it
and of it for the first time. No city-bred
person will wonder that the novel expert
ence had its charms. Pure air, regular
habits, and moderate amount of toll,
are not without their attractions.
The new season has opened and ac-
cording to the report in the Bulletin,
based on an interview with the Secretary
of the State Board of Trade, those who
employed the boys last year wish to
secure their services again. This official
said he was at the time Of the interview
in daily receipt of letters from many
farmers who send in orders for number
of the boys to be shipped at given
date.
This is what Mr.. Mcintyre, Superin-
tendent of the Vina ranch, says about
his experience:
Last year l employed large number
Of boys and men to replace ths China
men. With the boys / had somewhat of
time, but after they got settled down to
work l had not particle Of trouble.
One portion of them found to be rough
and somewhat of disturbers, but they
were soon weeded out; another portion
of them got homesick for their mothers !;
another thought it was a little harder
work than he bargained for, while still
another portion arrived at the conclusion
that they were off on a vacation and
had come for general good time.
So by the time, as l said, that l
got them interested in their labors
found had good sixty-fve per cent. of
earnest workers, and they did their work
to the best of their ability, and in man
ner that was entirely satisfactory to me.
| have learned through last years expe-
rience that it will not 90 to take boys
that are too young for the work, for
sometimes it turns out to be laborious
and they weaken, and l prefer to employ
large.sized boys and men. Another
ipoint 1 gained in knowledge is
}that while it is we'll and a good
thing to have an agency where
the boys can register and be
gathered together when wanted, it
is by far the best policy to deal
with the boys themselves directly. This
season shall adopt a new method of
employing the boys. When this help is
desired 1 shall notify the proper parties
to gather them together, and will myself
superintend the selection of them. If
you deal with boy directly and make
them one of the principal parties to the
transaction, they realize that they have
made an agreement and will look upon
it that there is some responsibility about
the matter. Where the employment OF
boys is made by outside parties, parents
or such, they do not regard the contract
with the same feeling as if it were made
personally.
"All OF the growers can use white help
to splendid advantage if they will use q
little patience and max boy that is old
enough to work realize that he
is somewhat of man. l speak
of boys that range in age from
sixteen to eighteen years. II the
boys are allowed to do their own talking
in the making of the agreement, when
they reach their destination there is no
grum bling, and they find every
thing just as it was represented when
they entered into the contract
and before they set eyes upon the place
where they are to labor. The main
point with the boys is to make clear to