Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-10-10
OTTUMWA'S GROWTH.
Contractors Unable to Secure suf-
flcient Skilled Labor.
ARCHITECTS FIGURING ON 1900 WORK
Substantial Building Boom This Yea,
Will be Exceeded Next-Not Affect-
cd Greatly by the Advance in
Materlals-Money Plentys


Much has been said Of late in regard
to the rapid permanent growth of OF
tumwa and the scarcity of labor. The
conditions in that respect are gradually
growing worse. and at the present time
it is impossible to get anywhere near
the necessary number of stone and
brick masons and carpenters necessary
to complete the buildings that are now
under way or have been contracted for.
Said a prominent contractor this morn
ing: Brick masons are absolutely at
a premium. A brick mason in Ottum-
wa today is the most sought after man
in town. This is equally true of stone
masons, and the situation has simmer
ed down to a point where we cannot
get men at any price. l know of con-
tractors who have written all over this
part of the state for men, and have
not been able to get them. A few of
the contractors have posted forfeits
as a guarantee that they will complete
certain work at a given date. Some
OF them are in the hottest kind of wa
ter as Il result of such agreements. as
they are not able to secure more than
one-half the force that will be neces-
sary for them to comply with the slip
ulations OF their contracts. I have
turned away two good jobs this week,
and have SO much work on my hands
at present that am certain l will be
unable to finish it in anything near the
time in which the parties want it. |
have not posted any forfeits as a guar
antee THAT will have it done, but am
making as great an effort to get men
as THOUGH had hundreds of dollars
at stake in forfeit money. Ottumwa
contractors have been solicited to bid
on an unusual amount of work out of
the city this season. \ few of us have
outside contracts, but as rule we are
not making any effort to get them and
have turned away several during the
past week.
Il have been in this business in OF
tumwa several years and never before
have l seen architects figuring ahead
for next years work as early as they
are this year / personally know of
several good jobs that have been taken
for next year. The architects are al
ready beginning to furnish estimates
for work next season, a thing that is
very seldom done before January or
February, and more especially in March
and from that on.
predict one of the busiest seasons,
in the building line next year, that has
ever been experienced in this city.
Money is plentiful, and notwithstand-
ing the great advance in all kinds OF
building materials, people are going
ahead with their improvements Just
the same. 1t was thought for time
that when the great advance in hum
Der was made it would prove a great
detriment TO contemplated building inn
provements. Then followed the adj
vance of all fixtures. such as locks and
hardware, used in the construction of
houses. That did not cut much figure.
Everything has advanced in proportion,
yet the people want the work just the
same, AMI they apparently have the
money to pay for it.
Ottumwashas been exceptionally for
tunate i'll this respect, however. When
people all over the country were cry
ing hard times short time ago, OF
tumwa was one of the few cities which
did not experience the business depres-
sion TO any great degree. 1t is true,
contractors and builders did not employ
near the number of men they do now.
but there has not been time for sew
eral years when we did not have a
fairly good business. There has been
4 steady growth, one that counts in the
life OF a city,