The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-13
IN LABOR'S
.... g FIELD


IT cannot be denied that present indus
trial conditions in St Paul are in more
satisfactory condition than they nave
been for many years. This fact is admit
ted by union officers and by labor leaders
generally. There are in St. Paul, at pres
ent twenty-five trades unions, represent
ing the printers, musicians, hack and cab
drivers BARRIERS, boiler-makers, leather
workers, furriers, carpenters, coopers,
broom-makers, machine woodworkers'
plasterers, sheet metal workers, fathers,
cigar makers, stone cutters, brick layers,
stone masons, painters. iron moulders,
brewers and bakers. With the exception
of bricklayers and, possibly, the stone
masons, these unions, covering so wide
field of industries. at their regular and
special meetings invariably report the
state of trade as good. Many or them
state that not single member of their
union is out of work. AS an Illustration
of this fact it is noted that on Sunday
last the musicians union. which was
scheduled that day for a meeting, found
IT impossible to hold one, owing TO the
demand on that day for their professional
services.
1t might not be judicious, from the
working mans point of view, to publish
such local facts to the outside world, were
not the conditions existing in st. Paul
equally true all over the country. There
fore there is little danger of attracting
competition in local industrial circles from
outside cities. Throughout the entire
northern portion of the United States
trades unions are strengthening them
selves in all the cities and making their
influence felt to a degree hitherto unap-
preached.
But. on the other hand, while a slight
advance in wages is heralded as a GER
tain indication of increasing prosperity,
&c should not be forgotten that in toe
many instances such advances are but a
partial restoration of wages which nave
been ruthlessly and ruinously cut by en-
ployers and contractors in the past In
but few instances has the wage scale
been restored to the standard of a few
wears ago. Since 1893 the trend of wages
has been steadily downward, and now
that there are slight advances it must
vet be some time before they are restored
to their original figures of the SOS.
Nor should it be forgotten in this con-
nection that just at present is the busiest
portion of the year, and that 1t follows
the close of one American war, and is In
the midst of another of indefinite dura.
ton II IS not, therefore, surprising that
there should be at this time an added i'm
petus to industrial pursuits. 1t may not
last; very likely 1t will be succeeded by
a period of depression. This contingency
IS presaged by the following extract from
one of Dun's recent reports:
''It Is not inconsistent nor strange II
business halts, because 1t has been crowd
ed to the utmost for four months in antic-
pating future needs on account of new
combinations proposed. In some cases
prices have been advanced so far as to
check business and IN others the works
have been engaged so far ahead that new
orders cannot be taken. Yet new business
in amount which would have been aston
ishing two years ago is still coming for
ward and the voluntary advance in wages
by sixteen Bessemer firms of the central
association and by the E'rick coke works
whose shipments In April, 80. 452 cars, were
the heaviest ever known, show confidence
in the future At Buffalo and in Idaho
strikes are causing trouble but labor
questions elsewhere do not effect genera
business