Morning journal and courier., 1894-05-30
Hew Baltimore Helped the Idle
 ID ak.


 The Central Rzlirf committee were apx- ious to find some form of relief which could be conducted upon economic princi- ples, where 1t would bs impossible 10 im- pose payment by the task instead of by time; where the msior portion of the out lay would be for labor, and where a ssla- bls product would result. They chose stone-bresking. Originally two stone- yards were opened, but later on two more were added. All were situated either within or a short distance beyond the city limits. Tso of them immediately ad- joined qusrries, the other two represent supplies of stone acquired by the commit tee. The piece system of payment was fixed for a unit of work which could be accomplished by a man of ordinary strength in about four hours. One dollar was the price given for double the task Single work was allowed in cases where the individual had wife and one child or dependent. Double work was offered an applicant having four or more persons de. pendent upon his earnings. The maxi mum sum which any man might receive was one dollar day Work was so dis tributed that, ss far possible, each can didste was given two days weekly, and the more necesaitous three and even four. On the average eight hours were consumed in performing 8 double tack. The more skilled finished sometimes in six and hslf or seven hours, while occasionally the un. handy or the loiteriDg would consume nine or ten hours. The task was so adjusted that sufficient time was left in which to seek other snd more remuuerstive jobs. The first stone-ysrd was opened January | 22d. From that date until April ., when | the work ceased. 6,969 lstor tickets were | redeemed. About seventy five per cent | of these tickets were for double work. | Nine thousand dollars was subscribed for stone-ysrd purposes. snd one thousand dollars was borrowed by hypothecating g | part of the product. A little over two thirds of these sums WAS spent for labor, | and the rest for unbroken stone, plant and | miscellaneous obi jscts. About seven hun | dred tons of raw material was donated | the rest was purchased at fair ptice. | About seven thousand tons of stone were broken Receipts from the crushed stone, | when all has been sold (snd there will be | little difficulty in accomplishing the sale, because of it's suitability for mscsdsmi- | zIng and bsllsstirR), will be about $6 $50 | The period comprised seventy working | days, fifteen of which were so unfsvors- ble that raw material could not be sup piled from the guarries. Effective relief will have actually cost 8 $50, which is nearly thirty-three per cent. of the amount subscribed and borrowed. It Is not to be expected that the value of the product in | any case could equal the total sum spent, for the reason that labor (which represents two-thirds of the cost) was necessarily in- | efficient At the beginning fair propor- ton were men who had rarely held any thing heavier than a psnholder in their handa. Little by little this contingent di miniehed ia numbers, but at no time wal there an sppreciably large element which had been used to stons-bresking before, though the large majority were general ls'
 borers, and a respectable majority mechsn' ics AS regards nationality, sn overwbelm' ing majority were foreign born. CoDpsr
 stiyely littls s.one breaking Is now done
 by hand The stesm crasher Is usually
 mployed. and it has so cheapened tho
 cost of production that hand-broken stone
 must come into the market on disRdvsnta
 geous mpstitive terms.
 Summarizing the results accomplished
 in connection with the relief of unem
 ployed residents with families to support,
 we find:
 Q) That industrial work wss provided
 on economic principles. The sctusl cost
 was about th!rty-three per cent of the
 funds raised. The remainder could have
 been turned over to continue the work
 but tt was needed to indemnify the Friend Iy Inn for the loss sustained in sbolishins
 "paid meals and lodeings." and for the flu ture work of tie rev Wsyfarers Lndge-
 (2) Market rates were observed both IT inc purchase of raw materials and the sal,
 of broken stone, go that no violence wal
 done to economic laws.
 CS) There could be no "scisriDg" In
 attention and neglect were at the expens'
 of the worker, not to the detriment of thu
 work-provider.
 4) Complete harmony and co operation existed with established charitable agen
 cies, and the latter were able to test chron ic subjects for relief by securing their sd