The morning call., 1893-10-27
THE UNEMPLOYED.

About 1000 unemployed men are being
fed at the sandlot. The relief business is
conducted by the Salvation Army. having
been taken out of the hands Of the pro-
fesSiOnal demagogues who have hitherto
run the sandlot for all that was in It,.
These pensioners on public benevolence
are of all races. They are Americans,
Irish, Germans. Poles, Russians. Hunga-
rians, Italians and Scandinavians, the
Americans predominating. 1t is esti-
mated that about 10 per cent of the whole
belong to the class OF professional tramps-
that is TO say, persons who will not work
and insist on being fed in idleness by char
ity. The other 80 per cent are workmen.
Many Of them skilled mechanics who have
come to this State IN search of employ
ment They will no doubt find what
they seek in course of time.
Considering the infinite number of use 5
to which labor can be put in this State it
would seem that any considerable delay in
fitting these newcomers into suitable
inches must imply inefficiency somewhere.
Il is surely somebody's business to super
sede the sandlot machinery with devices
more cons nsonant with sound economy.
Eleemosynary relief is wastful, demoral-
Izlng and mischievous. 1t should not be
continued an hour longer than is ahso-
lutely necessary.
A considerable number of men can find
employment in agricultural labOr-even at
this seasOn-along the three north and
south lines of railroad. Ranches, orchards
and vineyards require cultivating: trees
need transplanting; field are the better
for fall pl0wing against the winter rains.
There is hardly a rancher from Bakers
field to Shasta. or from San Francisco to
Templeton. who could not use TO advan-
tage the labor Of one or two extra men at
a moderate rate of wages. In the San
Joaquin Valley steady men can always
get a Job. though. of course, when they
come in droves of hundred at time,
the farmers fight shy of them. OrganiZa-
ton is what is here needed-a central en-
plOyment bureau where the man who
wants work can be brought into communi-
cation with the man who wants laborers.
II such a bureau were established the
exodus from the sandlot might deplete that
abode of want before the extreme cold
weather, and newcomers now hungry
might put by few dollars against the
spring.
There is always employment for idle
men in the exhausted placers on the Sierra
foothills. These placers are said to have
been exhausted long time ago. but for
twenty-five years considerable numbers
of Cinnamon have earned living by re-
washing the gravel and sand. 1t is said
that under the bottom of tie old diggings
there are ten feet of sand and gravel and
clay which carry gold. The gold is not
plentiful enough to justify working tie
stratum as business propositions; but
there is enough Of it to supply worker
with a roof and bread. and there is always
a gambling chance of striking nugget or
a cluster of nuggets.
In some of the southern counties-as in
Kern, Tulare, Fresno and the new county
of Kings-the unemployed are being set to
work on the roads. They do not get high
wages, but if they stick to their work none
of them will 90 hungry and the counties
will get what they need badly-a few
miles of good road before spring. In
Alameda, Marin and San Mateo count
labor is wanted on the roads, and the Su-
pervisors may never get chance of OBJ
tanning it to more advantage than at pres