Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-17
VENDORS OF FRUIT
A Business That Has Fallen Into
the Hands Of Italians.
CAPITALISTS Who EMPLOY THEM
Fortunes Said to Have Been
Amassed Out of Push Carts.
THE ORGAN MONOPOLY

In no line OF business are capitalists
more powerful than the men who own the
push carts en- which Italians wheel around
bananas, together with street organs and
candy stands that spring up wherever
crowds assemble with stock of candy and
very light-colored tafy, which are sold for
five cents a package.
There is prevailing idea that the Etal-
ians who sell fruit about the city and who
gather in pennies by grinding an organ
or selling taffy are miniature capitalists
struggling to establish themselves in bust
ness. This is a great mistake, for as
rule, these men do not own the push carts
on which their wares are wheeled about
and would not be able to pay s25 a year
for the privilege of selling fruit They
not only do not have to put up the money
to get a license to grind an organ on the
public thoroughfares, but they are not
put to the expense of having their or
2ans tuned The candy vendors have no
need of money with which to buy the little
wooden table on which they place tneir
sweets or the candy itself. All this is done
by men Of their own nationality who are
credited with having amaSsed fortunes
from their business.
The Italian street vendors are the most
close-mouthed class of people in the COM
munity.. They know nothing about their
own business or the business of any of
their kind and are mute if asked ques-
tons. If any one inquiries about the way
trade is progressing with them, there is
but one answer. 1t Is this:
NO maka the mon for paya the rent
Losa mon ala time. Go back Italia land
mghta soon."
Yet. Notwithstanding this discouraging
outlook in business, fIuit stands fruit push
carts, the organ grinders and the CANDY
vendors keep at their werk, and every lit
tie While one of them says farewell to his
ntrx-T Man, r16 49,
purpose of resting for the balance of his
Gays on his earnings in this country.
The Push Cart Trust.
1t Is estimated that there are over 100
push carts for fruit in Washington. The
great ma iority of these carts are ,wned by
ore man and they are all the property of
Lot more than three men. These magnates
Keep the carts going and pay the men who
push them about a percentage on the sales
There is very considerable repair shop To-
Gated in an alley between Pennsylvania
avenue, street and LIST and I'd streets
and il is to this shop that all the broken
down push carts are taken to be mended
1t is part of the contract of the proprietor
of the cart to repair ordinary injuries not
resulting from careie ssness on the part Of
the man in whose charge it is given But
If it is broken through any carelessness of
the pusher, the cost is charged up to him.
Not far from this repair shop is located
candy sold by street vendors is made
When this candy is sold at a price less
than that for which white sugar can he
bought 1t seems very strange how profit
can be eked out. But there is a profit, of
course, and 1t not only pays the man who
sells the goods. but pays the capitalist who
is back of him.
Steady Employment for All.
No Italian who has the strength to push
a candy or fruit cart, or who can grind an
organ, need be out of work in Washington
at any time. This fact is the result of the
organization among Italians here AS soon
as an Italian lands in the city he is direct
ed by one of his friends to one of the mag
mates in the lines of business monopolzed
by his countrymen. These gentlemen Look
him over. give him a lecture on honesty,
and set him up in business. A push cart
that has seen good deal of wear and tear
the market value Of which would be about
Slo, Is given him, and he is told where he
can go daily to be loaded up with baranas
Then he is given license. which alone is
worth go year, and IL he is energetic he
will make enough money to pay his en-
pioyer well for the capital invested, as well
as TO pay his own expenses ard hermit him
to save money. But the love Of country
men is~not SO strong in the italian breast
as to countenance laziness or dishonesty If
1t Is detected. The Italians must work and
the only evidence that will be accepted by
the owners of the push carts, as showing
that Trey really have worked, is the
amount or sales made, while the only evil
dehce OF honesty is the prompt remittance
OF money secured from these sales Every
day Tie account is squared. and there must
9 ee no shortage. If rotten fruit SHOULD be
discovered by man in charge of a p;,sh
cart he dare not throw It away but allows
II 10 remain in the cart until he rs turned
IN ms account, and then he presents the
ueeayeo 1ru1t TO be received back and
credited to him. But even such evidence ,s
this is not taken without questioning for
the proprietor knows that 1t is possible for
t .ne man 10 nave sold his good fruit and to
nave purchased the rotten stuff from some
cther vendor at the price which was cred
ited against him for the fresher fruit h..
lad received. ' nv
II man In charge of a push cart &c o.
rested and has to pay a fine in the PoIIa,
Court. 1t Is the capitalist who backs hin, nm
IN business who puts up the money nrn'
Vioea the hne is less amount than the
man could earn during the time he would
nave to serve sentence in iafl were ha tn
accept the alternative and be incarcerateS
me great success of these fruit vendors
ana CANDY men is accomplished because
they lose nothing. Everything thew havs
must be sold. and If the fruit advances too
closely on state of rottenness. the nrice
IS lowered so that the newsboys, boot
blacks and other street urchins are teupt-
ed to but 1t because of the large amn,,nt
they can get for their money
An Organ Monopoly.
Washington is owned by one man. and he
receives percentage on the money taken
in by the organ grinder as rent on the in
strument. He keeps the organ in repair
and provides license for the man.
1t is said that one of the men who is a
large capitalist in the matter of oryans
and push carts owns nearly all the prom
efty on square west of 9th street and
south of Pennsylvania avenue The same
man is also credited with owning houses on
p street which would probably be valued at
Sloo,Wo. But although tie capitalist secures
a profit that allows him to amass such a
fortune. the Italian employees generally
seem quite content with the system under
which they work, for it permits them to be
at work always, and the wares in which
they deal are of such a character that the
hard times do not seem to affect their
sales
The ambition of every manipulation of a
push cart Is to save enough money TO set
himself up in business in fruit stand In
a number of Instances two or more fruit
stands are owned by one man, but such
businesses are more generally owned by the
individual running them than in other in
dustries in which the Italians embark The
hours of the men who tend to these stands
are generally from about 8 o'clock in the
morning until IL midnight The usual pay
for men who do this work on salary is 500
per month. and with this money they not