Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-12-04
A BLACKlNG MONOPOLY
THE PADRoNE SYSTEM HAS g.
vADEo NEW YoRKs FERRIES.

Men Who Control HE runthiaeking frivi'
lego on Besrd the Trrry boats and 10
Large business Bundlas.-A nulincf'
That ia. Grown.
III. unfailing law OF business b. that
wherever there a. an opportunity i1r The
profitable Investment of capital the
money Is forthcoming 20 keep limt lusl-
moss booming and TO saize upin The mo.
advantageous sitos And 20 10 bus como
about that capitalists have not disdninol
TO take hold ~ the hootbllchng huai.
ness. While waiting Ter n boat outside
of tho Twcn'y-thiri street ferry 20 Jer-
Soy City srn reporter got shine from
a remarkably bright and onGcnt Amer
lean boy, whose mode of cleaning aud
shining indicated a good deal Of expert.
encc
"Why don; yon go iudle and pick mp
business on the boats. where your cts
toners can Get comfortable s,ltsT b..
quired the reporter.
~ wish I could" sail tho boy, "hnt
they won, iet mo do it,
"Why. ! have seen boys on the beats
hlncldng boots, and they seem 10 make
lots Of money"
Eyes Thoy don't 900 day that they
DO not pics up at lcnst n dollar, aud
from that all the way mp TO three or
Four. or sometime. Ave. Bat they can't
keep the money Themselves"
"Why nois'
"They have 20 giycR MP 10 the Italian
padrunes. There nrn three Italians who
have bought the right from the railroad
company, and they are tho only ones
who are permitted 10 black boots on the
fcrryhoats, They hnvo hired q lot Of
italian boys, TO whom thoy pay three
dollars or four dollars u week. and tho
boys are compelled 10 give up nll thoir
earnings 20 the padruncs who h.gc them.
II the boys 10 not turn in an amount
that Is believed TO DO all their earnings
the padrones put ON spoitors ard watch
them, aud see that they do pay up.
noorhLAcK rnISCu.
"woll. why don't you 90 In and buy
the right to shine boots on the boats"
"Mc' Why, do yon know what thosa
padroncs paw for the right TO black boots
on M the hoatsl They pay over 5000
u ycar, and keep tho nous cabins clean.
A poor boy HASN'T much Glance to got
that Job. used 10 work Tor thom. hut
! lnd can make moro money by stand
ing outside aud catching some Of tho
customers before they get on tho boat.
Thon all get Is clean profit, and don't
have to pay over to any radrpue.'
On all the steamboats, and steamships
and railroads, at The hotels, in front ~
saloons in fact, everywhere where men
go there arc To be found capitalist boot
blacks who hro tho best places, or there
is m arrangement by which the owner
u tho boat or hotel or barber shop hires
some ono % do the bootblacdng and
takes tho money himsoif There have
thus arisen several boothlack princes,
such a. the entcrprdug Italian who has
tho monopoly Of the hoothlacl.ng at tho
Produce exchange, or tho happy colured
gentleman who does mp tho business Ia
tho Equitable building.
Many u the booiblack princes have
wives and families and nice homes. and
they dress well and 1.-Two well. A. the
big hotels the income from the privilege
n hlaclting boots Is u considerable part
% the revenue OF the house. lt has long
ceased 10 bo a pesquisite Of the servant,
A chair In good place will yield five
dollars day for bootblaclin'. and on
extra occasions good deal iitrc. Tho
bulk Of the work is done by men. IL
really requires considerable bono nud
SNOW TO black q pair Of boots well. anl
the mnn who has once noticed the differ.
enco between the way an average boy
does u aud tho way a man talas hold of
the work win not caro- TO risi, tho boys
work again.
ART M BLEACHING nOors.
There arc "a good many points ahnu,
backing boots that give scope 20 tht
guuiu8 Of tho workman, a. In all manual
occupations. The bootblnck who one.
establishes n reputation for quick and
good work has his fortune made. Men
viii go ont Of their way 10 meet him
and viii wait their turn a. Tor favor
ito barber,
On hot days bootblacl;s' chairs ar,
very tempting on tho street corners IN
tho shade, and many n man stops and
takes shine just for a rrst. The sun
incr Is the bootbAots' harvest, becaus,
there "a 10 much travelling and 80 mucl
dust. Some saloon keepers exact rent
from the Italians who have CHAIRS foi
bootblaolging in front Of their saloons
Others are content TO use tho Italians
services IN cleaning up tho place or foi
running orrands. Sometimes the Pre-
pricior come ont aud occupy the chain
M loungIng places, 10 the great chagriI
Of the Italian owners.
Some time ago 10 was polluted ont thu
a good many women would got thei
shoel cleaned and shinod ~ men do {
they could have the same facilities
Nobody seems To have acted on this sug
sesiion yet. But It seems likely tia
there would be money In u. When On
, man huds uut that there is money Ia /
others will follow. As IL Is, many womei
: arc ashamed " their shocl, and long O
get mp on the chairs md have shine
Occasionally o vcniurosome girl does sc
bat she generally finds herself an objec
Of considerable curiosity
: improvements may be seen IN tho eve
luton Of tho bootblaeldng business
! Fancy chairs, better backing, u man d
. each foot, che use Of chainois bands 90
7 hul'hlug, l,,tlo points Of attention I
{ dress, the vanishing Of russell shoes, Nh
Oh shiue-all these show that the huoI
u u1ur.fe ura la lnrtuouv with tho rriFlt 4