Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-09-19

Building improvements in Ottumwa
have been many and substantial this
summer. They have not been alone
confined to business structures, but in
clude many residences as we'll.
During the present year the improve
ments in this city have been more than
double the number of those last year.
Every day the contract for some build
ing is let or the plans submitted.
Those buildings which have been
erected recently, or are in the
course of construction, are all thor
oughly modern, and the material which
is being put into them is of much
better and more substantial quality
than that used last year. Building
materials have advanced, as "a whole,
so per cent over the price paid last
year. Notwithstanding this advance in
price, those building business blocks
and residences pay the heavy prices for
material of the best quality rather
than give small price for material of
q poorer quality.
ALI the building contractors and
architects Of the city have either just
completed buildings or have them un-
der way. The principal difficulty they
now have to contend with is the scar
city II bricklayers. In talking to a To-
cal contractor the other day in regard
to the situation, he said to a Courier
reporter: 81 could easily use ten
bricklayeas just now, if could get
them, but it seems impossible to find
the right kind of men. am at loss
to know what to do, and my work is
being held back every day from this
cause" When asked what bricklay-
Ser was paid, he said: s'This year we
are paying them As cents an hour,
which is cents an hour higher than
the price paid last year. Their work
ing day is nine hours"
Carpenters are not SO scarce as the
bricklayers, yet the builders find it
hard to get good men-men who can
do neat work, such as is required in
4 good buildings. Building carpenters
average $2.25 a day, and work ten
hours. This wage is about 25 cents
more per day than that paid last year
The men who contract for finishing
houses are not excepted from the attic.
ton of scarcity of hands, but are prob.
ably worse off than the others. Last
year theseamen were not worked very
hard, and oftentimes were out of a job
They soon became. tired of that Esd
of life, and hustled out of to rsn to seek
employment elsewhere. This yeal
brings many contracts for finishing the
wood work In new houses. 1t requires
good men to do the work, and there
comes the difficulty. There arr
enough men TO do the work after Z
fashion, but they are not skilled
enough to execute it in the proper
manner. Therefore there is a large de
mand for machine and finishing men
and the wages which they are receiving
this year are 26 and so cents more pei
day than those of last year.
Stone masons are more in demand
than they were last year, and while
there is enough of this class of work
men to accommodate the contractors
yet their wages have increased s cent.
an hour over those they received las
year. They are now getting 30 cent.
an hour, and their working day is ter
hours long.
The following So correct list of the re
cent Improvements that have beer
made, that are being made, and tina
will be made in Ottumwa. as nearly al
could be ascertained by a Courier re
porter, after a weeks investigation:
Improvements Completed.
frank M. Hunter expended $4,000
for new business block on West MAR
street.
Harrow & Hackworth have erected .
new business block on West Mar
street, at the cost OF $4,000.
VIM. Richards has spent $4,000 on ,