Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-04-30
A BLACkING MONOPOLY.
rsaE eApRoNs SYSTEM HAS IN.
vADeo NEW yoAk's FERRIES.
Men who Central the Haptbiasklnw Prisl-
lsge oa naarI th. Perry hests and in
Larw. Basim.s. Bnlldlngs-A HasIness
That Has Grown

lswe ma HAZARD th. Perry bosts and in
Larw. Baslm.ss Bntldlngs-A HnsIness
That Ha~ Grnwn.
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 bust.
ness booming and % seize upon the most
advantageous sites And 80 il has come
about that capitalists have not iisdained
to take hold ~ the hootblacking bust
ness. While waiting for boat outside
of the Twents-third street ferry 10 Jer-
sey City Sun reporter got shine from
. remarkably bright and efficient Amer
lean boy. whose m,sle ~ cleaning and
shining indicated a good deal Of expert
ence
Why don't you go inside aud pick up
business ON the boats, where your Gus
TONERS can get comfortable seats2' in
quired the reporter
II wish could said the boy. .but
they won't let me do ii.
why, have seen bows on the boats
blackIng boots, and they seem 10 make
lots Of money"
"fes. They don't see day that they
do not pick mp 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 notg"
They have TO give IL 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 10 black boots on the
ferryboais. They nave hired lot of
Italian boys, to whom, they pay three
dollars or four dollars a week, and the
boys are compelled 10 give mp all their
earnings 20 the psldrones who hire them.
II the boys do not tnru in an amount
that is believed tn he all their earnings
the padrones put On spotters and watch
them. and sce that they do pay up
/ BooTBl.ACK PRINCES
well, why don't ynu 20 in aud buy
the right 70 shine haots on the boassgt'
''Mes Why. do ynu know svlsst those
padronesspay Tor the right 10 black boots
ON all the boats: They pay over 81 200
year, and keep the mems cabins clean.
A poor boy hasn't much chance to get
that job. | used To work for them, but
] lind can make more money by stand
ing outside and catching some of the
lcnstorners 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, and steamships
and railroads. ut the hotels, in front OF
saloons-in fact, everywhere where men
go there are to be found capitalist boot
blacks who hire the best places, or there
H. an arrangement by which the owner
of the boHt or lIotel or barber shop hires
some one Ia do the bpotbiacking aud
takes the money himself. There have
thus arisen several hootblack princes,
such as the enterprising Italian who has
the monopoly OF the buothlacking ut the
Produce exchange. or The happy colored
gentleman who does mp the business in
the Equitable hnilding
! Many OF the hoothlack princes have
wives and families aud nice siornes, and
they dress well and live well. At tht
big hotels the income from the privilege
of blacking bouts is considerable part
of the revenue of tine house. 1t has long
ceased to be n perquisife Of the servant
A chair In n good place will yield five
dollars a day for bootblaeking. snd on
extra occasions good deal more. The
bulk of the work is done by men, Ii
really requires consiserHbls bone and
sinew to black y pair Of boots well. and
the man who has once noticed the differ
lenee between the way nm average boy
does it and tha way a rnan takes hold Of
the work will NOT care To risk the boy 3
work again.
ART IN Bl.ACKIsG BOOTS.
There are asgood many points about
backing boots that give scope to the
genius Of the workman. rs in all manual
occupations. The. beetblack who once
establishes reputation for qniek and
good work has his fortune made : Men
win 60 out Of their way to meet him,
and viii wait their turn as for favor
its barber
On hot days bootblacks' chairs are
very tempting on the street corners In
the shade. aud many man stops and
takes shine just for q rest The sum
mer Ia the bootblacks' harvest, because
there is so much travelling and 30 much
dust. Some saloon keepers exact rent
from the italians who have chairs Tor
bootblaeking in front of their saloons
Others are content to use the Italians
services In cleaning up the place or for
running errauds. Sometimes the pro-
prietors come out aud occupy the chairs
~ lounging places. to the great chagrin
of the Italian owners.
Some time ago IL was pointed out that
a good many women would get their
shoes cleaned and shined AZ men do II
they could have the same facilities.
Nobody seems 20 have acted on this sug-
| gestion yet. But IL seems likely thar
there would he money IN ii When one
man ffals out that there i money In 1t
others will follow. As IL Is, many women
are ashamed Of their SHOES. and long 70
get mp on the chairs aud have shine.
Occasionally venturesome girl does 30,
but aha generally finds herself an object
] II considerable curiosity.
/ improvements may he seen in the evo-
luton of the bootblaeking business
/ Fancy chairs. better backing, man at
each foot. the nse % chainois bands for
/ Einishing. little paints 81 attention to
dre&s. the vanishing of rnsset shoes. the
/ oil shine--an these snow that the boot.
blacks ara IN harmony with the spirit of
/ the age; that they have their eyes open
10 the necessity for keeping pace with
the progress that Is going on In other de-