St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-23

tain Robert street structures aggregat-
ing $4,000. In addition are an I'M
usually large number of residences, the
larger proportion of the latter being in
the Midway district. MessrS. E. j.
Hodgson, Walter lie, E. P. BassfOrd,
H. &. Carter, E. B. Burgholtzer and
most of the other architects report a
similar decrease in downtown building
for this season and increase in the de-
mand for residence plans.
Talk with contractors shows that those
in stone and brick anticipate dull sea-
son, and with apparently good reason.
With the exception of the buildings al
ready referred to-, and those projected,
which are comparatively few. there
seems nothing to justify anticipation OF
a lively season for contractors. For
carpenters, however, the season will be
heavy one, and has already opened.
j. ID. Moran, one of the foremost con-
tractors of the city. stated yesterday
that the prices for labor of all kinds
and of most descriptions of building
material would be relatively lower than
last year. In his opinion, there would
not be enough of stone contracts to en-
ploy many men, though there might be
a lively demand for bricklayers. Brown
stone would be a little cheaper than last
year, and lumber would be similarly re-
duced. Mr.. Moran remarked that there
were very few large contracts let last
year, and the result was that the jour-
neymen workmen, being
Unable to Obtain Work
from the contractors, had taken small
contracts on their own accounts in order
to exist, and this had had prejudicial
| effect on the present seasons outlook.
Contractor G. A. Fowble said that he
| did not look for any extensive contracts
this season, but added that so far as the
mechanics were concerned if st. Paul
| had no use for them Chicago Wonld
| have. The worlds fair buildings were
| to be begun at once, and there would be
room for all the stOnecutterS and others
who wanted to work.
Philip Riley, of the Martin Lumber
company. stated that the lumber mar
ket was in bad shape for the opening OF
the season. There was too much COM
mon lumber on hand and not enough OF
the upper grades. Lumber of all kinds
would be cheaper than last year.
A. j. Koran, another large local cou-
tractor, believed that, while there
would be less building in the way of
large blocks this season than in the
last two, there would be an even larger
building total than last year. The
structures going up were, he said, of
a different character, more resi-
dences being projected than ever
before, and mostly of a class
ranging in price from $4,000 to
$1,000. Certainly the result would be
to make things dull in some lines OF
trade, but the amount invested at the
end of the year in suburban dwellings
| III - I'm
not greater, than the figures shown for
1889. So far as anything that has been
accomplished at present is concerned.
there is no prospect of settlement OF
the stonecutters' strike, which has been
in progress since June last The
strike was on demand by the men for
80 cents per hour, and to this demand
| the bosses agreed, and were willing to
pay the amount to firstclass men. The
difficulty arose from the fact that some
| men in the union were not firsC-c!ass
Workmen, and could not earn more
than IS cents an hour, which was offered
them, and which they were
Compelled to Refuse.
The union demanded that these be
paid Oh the same scale as the others,
and refusal of the employers to COM
ply led to the strike, which has been in
| progress ever since. Secretary Ward,
of the union, claims that three separate
attempts have been made to induce the
bosses to arbitrate the difficulty and
they have as often refused to negotiate.
The new firm of granite cutters. MesSrs.
Lauer & UImer, are about to emplo a
large number of granite workers. The
granite men are separate organization
from the stonecutterS, but are pledged
to support the latter and will, it is be-
liseved, make stand for fort the same scale
Secretary Ward states that if the
granite cutters refuse to go to