The San Francisco call., 1898-04-03
MING THE ARTICLES or AGREEMENT.

they don't have to until the money with which they are paid off on their last job is all gone; then they have to take whatever they can get and get out.
 Many of those men you see out there have been walking up and down this street on a lookout for jobs for three weeks past, and they haven't taken one yet. They're holding off, on the bull side of the market. The employer is on the bear side. I tell you, the thing just pivotS on nice center. Let the newspapers print a report of anything that is likely to throw number of men out of Work-any general thing like a high wind, beating rain, or a bad frost that destroys crops or fruit-and 1 will feel the effects of it the very next day. When the syndicate or the corporation sends to this office for men it offers less than it did the day before; and it will not offer more until it is absolutely pinched by the refusal of men to take it's jobs; then it's bid will go up notch and keep going until labor accepts It's a play on the laborer's bedrock necessities every time.''
 The condition seems to initiate strongly against progeny, and therein abides a most vital problem for the study of economists. There are thou sands of families in San Francisco" said the Crier, many of whom are in the deepest destitution, who would be glad to go to the country and work on the farms. But they have children and children are barred; all the orders get say, send man and wife; no, don't want couple with children; we've got children enough of our own So these people have to stay in the city and do the best they can; and many of them have mighty poor pickings. I tell you. .' nd fhara11rnya ic rnan jured. if society shuts off the laborer from reproducing, who will do the la Dor work for the future generations?
 Why don't you take a job and go to work?" I asked of one of the men behind pipe who, seated on wood bench, was ably sustaining the weight of one leg upon the other. What kind of work do you do? Carpenter? There you are; three dollars day with only 50 cents off for board, and take your blankets. What do you want bet ter than that?"
 Well, sur, to tell yez the truth, Oi don't think the job Is wort the money that is to say, Oi think it should pay better than thot," was the reply
 What class of work do you think is the best for a man to engage in now?" I asked.
 Well, sur, Oi should give 1t as me opinion thot for an ordinary laborin mon, the best he could do wad be to be cook. There's always a demand for thim; they get from thirty-five to forty dollars a month an found, an the clothes they wear costs thim next to nothin'; an what's more the work s easy, an, for the most part, he's hees own boss. Did you ever hear thot story about Alexander the Great an the Cynic? Well, Alexander, ye know. said thot. If Oi war not Alexander Oi wad be Diogene'; an faith it's thot way wid mesilf. If Oi war not a car penter Oi wad be a cook"
 The profits in conducting these labor bourses must be very considerable. since they are paid from $1 to s5 each time they place an employe, the fee invariably being the contribution of the laborer.
 One concern told me that it's average placement was over twelve hundred per month. and that it's books for last year showed over 17,00O made during that twelvemonth. At that rate the in come of this concern could not have been less than $25,0O0 for the perioc named. As there are six of these con- cerns in the city, I estimate that through them no less than 50,OO0 per- sons find positions annually, and that the aggregate sum paid' by the labor CTS for the service thus rendered is be- tween s75,000 and S100,00O
 JOHN E. BENNETT.