Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-24
w AGE S AND WORKMEN
District Men for the Work on District
Buildings
What Contractors Say of the Proposal
Made by the Committee of
WOrkingmen.

Commissioner Ross eaid this morning
speaking of the requests made by repre-
sentatives of the local labor organizations
concerning workmen and wages on build
ings erected for the District, that the
tire question, relating both to the payment
of maximum wages and the employment
Of residents of the District only, has been
referred to the attorney for the District.
Until the attorney delivers an opinion, the
Commissioner said, he does not care TO ex-
press himself in regard to the case. Both
propositions involve matters of law, and
will be considered by the attorney, Mr.
Thomas.
A tour among contractors and builders
this afternoon developed that few of them
had given sufficient attention to the propo-
sition to admit Of their expressing an opin-
ion upon 1t. There was general approval,
however, of that part of the suggestion
providing for the payment of maximum
wages to laborers and mechanics engaged
en- work being done under contract for the
District government.
THAT would meet my approval" said
Mr.. jacob Veihmeyer, the stone and marble
work contractor, land I believe all other
contractors would approve 1t, too, because
it wouldn't take anything out of any of
their pockets. 1 am not in favor of the
system that compels an employer to pay
uniform wages, however, because under 1t
poor workmen receive as much as the good
ones, in spite of the difference in the value
of the labor they perform" Mr.. Veihmeyer
didn't like the part of the proposition which
looked to the employment Of residents OF
the District only. saying 1t was frequently
necessary for contractors to secure skilled
men from other places. He thought that
Washington contractors generally employed
residents in preference to any other appli-
cants for work, but did not approve COM
- kI,s, In oil Len
Of the opinion that the adoption of such
clause as that suggested in contracts for
District work would not have any eject
upon regulating the wages paid by con-
tractors on private work.
Approved the Entire Proposition.
Mr.. w. E. Speir of the firm OF w. E.
Speir & Co., contractors and builders.
heartily approved the entire proposition SUB
mitted to the Commissioners, and In the
course of conversation gave an excellent
idea of the conditions Of the contracting
and building business in this city:
"a great de.riment TO the building ana
contracting trade in this city," said MI
Sreir, lis the diversity of wages paid ana
the difference in the number OF hours "ork-
ed by different contractors. Employers
like ourselves, who pay the highest wages.
are compelled to compete with others 1or
work who do not pay as mucn- Conse-
qrently, in order to meet their ng9res' Gon,
firms, which can only be carried out at q
loss.
spoken of in the contracts given out Tor
District work." continued Mr.. Speir. would
guarantee a better character OF the work
performed NO matter Of what variety II
might be- Uniform maximum wages, TOO.
would be an incentive to poor worknen 70
improve their work, for they would feel
that competition to secure empioymehI
would be keen, and thus make aouitionai
efforts to save their own places
There is no doubt of the proprfety OF EN-
Moving District residents on District work.
and 1 wish that District people would pa
troniZe District enterprises more tnan .hey
do. Now there are four or nve MUS ne i7
which could easily provide all the mill
work such as sashes, doors and bEnds,
necessary to the building trade in WASH
ington. They could be kept busy and give
steady employment to many mechanics ana
laborers. At present they don't supply
more than 50 per cent of the millwork used
here The rest is brought from the north
west; from Oshkosh, Wis, Dubuque, Iowa,
and other places where lower wages are
paid in the mills and where longer hours
are demanded.
'sThere is another drawback to the build
Ing trade here" said Mr.. Speir, in conclu-
sion, land that is the feature Of the present
mechanics lien law, which makes the
owner of building in course OF construc-
ticn, or completed. responsible Tor the
wages owed to the men who might have
bsen employed on it, or the material FUR
nished the contractor for its construction
Subcontractors look to the owners and the
mill wLlk dealers will furnish material TO
ANYBODY. no matter who, or whether re-
sponsible or not, because they know they
can hold the owner II the contractor fails
to settle. This feature has retarded build
ing a great deal here, in my opinion. To
return to the proposition, however. I hope
tie attorney for the District may nnd au-
thority for the Commissioners to adopt II,
because under the present system OF ooinS
district work, contractors who pay high
wages are compelled to bid against those
who do not and they must either bid BLING
ly to a degree, or refrain from entering plos
at ALL
All on the Same Footing.
Contractor Littlefield and others favored
the main proposition. Of having maximum
wages provided for contracts for District
work, because all bidders would then De
placed on a known and equal footing, ana
could prepare their figures accordingly