The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-20
LABOR MARKET BRISK
Greatly Improved Demand for
Workmen in Many Lines.
FOR MILLS AND LOGGING CAMPS
Scarcity Of Hop PIckers Accompanied
BY Revival in Lum berlng- Good
DomeSfics in Demand.

The demand fer labor IS PERHAPS not an
irfailible barometer Of business confl-
,ions. but II IS probably as good an in
dicator as anything may -. As the de-
rland for workrsen increases SO does husi-
ness improve. and when hard times"
come or then do C0xey armies grow. The
inability 70 supply anywhere near the
number o. msn wanted % pick hons this
year as compared with the unlimited
supply OF help last year. would seem 20
show that labor is pretty well employed
Although the conclusion 70 be drawn
from this fact cannot BE- taken 10 mean
that there are not many idle people in
the city. Against this must be set the
fact that the pay offered this season for
picking hops is so Low, . cents a box.
and the cost Of transportation 10 the
Yakima valley, where most OF the help
Is wanted. is so great comparatively, that
IL is claimed living wages cannot be
earned.
50 that y hiie perhaps IL would net be
fair to Judge the matter BY the INSULT
cient supply Of hap pickers the labor sit
uati0n I'm other lines of industry may fair
Is ba taken as a correct criterion OF the
general condition OF business. Labor Com
missioner Lamb said yesterday that IL
was harder 70 get men for any purpose
this year than last. Last year they could
be easily picked up for anything and ey-
erything. but now he Is unable 10 supply.
for work on ranches. etc. To a Post-In-
tel!igencer reporter Mr.. Lamb talked in
an interesting manner on this question.
He said:
1T is harder 10 get men for shingle
mill work than for any other kind. Farm
hands are fairly plentiful, but there does
not seem to be an excess OF men for the
better class OF skilled labor for work in
the mills and woods. A great many men
can be had for railroad work: there Is
always plentiful supply of this class Of
labor. And for restaurant work in the
city. dishwasffing and that kind OF light
work the demand can always be filled
Teams for the country are nearly always
hard to get Hop pickers are scarce.
This season l have sent out about 400,
mostly 10 the Green and White river val
ievs For Yakima ! couldn't send out
any. because Of the reduced price for
picking and the cost OF getting there.
Rates Of wages for farm hands run
from $40 70 so a mouth. with medium
average Of ST. to SIS. Wages for wood
cutters average from so TO $50 month.
As low as 80 is offered, but hands can
seldom be gotten at that price. In some
cases the men board themselves, and In
others they have to pay board at rates
varying from 81 % TO $40 a week and I'm
extreme cases s. a week. The price for
snlngle bolts ranges from Is cents TO 81
a cord. Where men are hired by the day,
either I'm mill work or logging. they are
generally required TO pay for their board
at the above rates. Last year men " no
employed wood and bolt cutters nearly
always required them TO furnish their
own tools but this year they generally
furnish the tools, and when the men
board themselves they advance provi-
sions. l should estimate that the wages
earned by the average man at wood or
bolt cutting. after making allowance for
broken time. would not exceed Sl5 or so
a month and board Exceptionally good
workmen probably earn as high rs SIS
or S2a a month.
1.-The supply OF girls for general house
work is nearly always below the demand.
and this is especially so with reference 70
competent cooks. The wages run from SO
to SIS a month as an average. with eN-
trenes of from s. 10 SD. There is very
general complaint among employers Of
girls for homework that competent girls
are hard TO get. On the other hand. the
girls complain that they are not able to
stand the work required Of them There
are great many competent cooks, espe-
cally among American born women, who
are not strong enough to do heavy Work,
such as scrubbing and washing.
II have often thought that II families
needing good cooks would send out their
washing. and make the work light in other
respects. they would be much more likely
to secure the KIND or COOKS they want L
have frequent calls for young girls and old
women to work for very small wages in
consideration OF having n light. pleasant
place and a comfortable home Such help
il is almost impossible TO get At any
rate they do not come TO an employment
office l should say from my experience
here, that thoroughly competent help Is
paid too little, and incompetent help too
much. Not more than % per cent. OF the
girls are thoroughly competent TO do the
work OF a first-class family; about co per
cent. are fair. and about 10 or l. per cent.
are. from some cause. either mental or
physical. wholly incompetent
Wages have not increased since last
season in the case Of either men or wo-
men. Yet more Inducements are being Of
fered 10 get men TO work at wood and bolt
cutting than last year. Female help is I'M
d0ubtedly scarcer than last year. I am
unable 10 say whether this IS due TO the
fact that more people employ domestics or
20 the fact that there has been a move
ment OF girls out OF the city.
"On tha whole, / should say that the
number OF idle persons, both men and wo-
men, bears no comparison with last year.
The orders in this Office have increased %
rer cent over the same period last year.
Better business conditions are manifested.
not I'm increased wages hut In the efforts
OF employers 70 get more help