Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-17
A BLACKING MONOPOLY.
THE PADRoNE SYSTEM HAS IN
vADED NEW YORK'S FERRIES.


That Has Grown.
The unfailing law of business is that
wherever there is an opportunity for the
profitable investment of capital the
money is forthcoming to keep that busi-
ness booming and to seize upon the most
advantageous sites. And so it has come
about that capitalists have not disdained
to take hold of the bootblacking busi-
ness. While waiting for boat outside
of the Twenty street ferry to Jer-
sey City Sun reporter got shine from
a remarkably bright and efficient Amer
ican boy, whose mode of cleaning and
shining indicated good deal Of expert
ence.
"Why don't you go inside and pick up
business on the boats, where your GUS
TONERS can get comfortable seats% in
quired the reporter.
Il wish l could" said the boy, "but
they won't let me do it."
"Why, have seen boys on the boats
backing boots, and they seem to make
lots of money"
eyes, They don't see day that they
do not pick up at least dollar, and
from that all the way up to three or
four, or sometimes five. But they can't
keep the money themselves"
"Why not?"
.'They have to give it up to the italian
padrones. There are three Italians who
have bought the right from the railroad
company, and they are ,the only ones
who are permitted to black boots on the
ferryboats They have hired a lot of
Italian boys, to whom they pay three
dollars or four dollars week, and the
boys are compelled to give up all their
earnings to the padrones who hire them.
If the boys do not turn in an amount
that is believed to be all their earnings
the padrones put on spoilers and watch
them, and see that they do pay up.
BooTBLACK PRINCES.
"Well, why don't you go in and buy
the right to shine boots on the boats?"
"Me? Why, do you know what those
padrones pay for the right to black boots
on all the boats? They pay over $4,000
a year, and keep the mems cabins clean.
A poor boy hasn't much chance to get
that job. I.used to Work for them, but
! find can make more money by stand
ing outside and catching some of the
customers before they get on the boat.
Then all get is clean profit, and don't
have to pay over to any padrone." ="
On all the steamboats, ard steamships
and railroads, at the hotels, in front of
saloons-in fact, everywhere where men
60 there are to be found capitalist boot
blacks who hire the best places, or there
is an arrangement by which the owner
of the boat or hotel or barber shop hires
some one to do the bootblacking and
takes the money himself. There have
thus arisen several bootblack princes,
such as the enterprising Italian who has
the monopoly of the bootblacking at the
Produce exchange, or the happy colored
gentleman who does up the business in
the Equitable building.
Many of the bootblack princes have
wives and families and nice homes, and
they dress well and live well. AT the
big hotels the income from the privilege
of blacking boots is considerable part
of the revenue of the house. 1t has long
ceased to be a perquisite of the servant.
A chair in good place will yield five
dollars day for bootblacking, and on
extra occasions good deal more. The
bulk of the work is done by men. 1t
really requires considerable bone and
sinew to black pair of boots we'll, and
the man who has once noticed the differ
ence between the way an average boy
does it and the way man takes hold of
the work will not care to risk the boys
work again.
ART IN BLACKING BOOTS.
There are good many points about
blacking boots that give scope to the
genius of the workman, as in all manual
occupations. The bootblack who once
establishes reputation for quick and
good work has his fortune made. Men
will go out of their way to meet him,
and will wait their turn as for favor
ite barber.
On hot days bootblacks' chairs are
very tempting on the street corners in
the shade, and many man stops and
takes shine just for rest. The sum-
mer is the bootblacks' harvest, because
there is so much travelling and so much
dust. Some saloon keepers exact rent
from the italians who have chairs for
bootblacking in front of their saloons.
Others are content to use the Italians
services in cleaning up the place or for
running errands. Sometimes the pro-
prietors come out and occupy the chairs
as lounging places, to the great chagrin
Of the Italian owners.
Some time ago it was pointed out that
a good many women would get their
shoes cleaned and shined as men do if
they could have the same facilities.
Nobody seems to have acted on this sug-
gestion yet. But it seems likely that
there would be money in it. When one
man finds out that there is money in it
others will follow. As it is, many women
are ashamed of their shoes, and long to
get up on the chairs and have shine.
Occasionally venturesome girl does SO,
but she generally finds herself an object
of considerable curiosity.
improvements may be seen in the evo-
luton Of the bootblacking business.
Fancy chairs, better blacking, a man at
each foot, the use of chamois bands for
finishing, little points of attention to
dress, the vanishing of russet shoes, the
oil shine-all these show that the boot
blacks are in harmony with the spirit of
the age: that they have their ewes open