Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-26
LABOR FAMINE IN The WEST
Contractors Olamoring for Men in Spite Of
the Approach Of Winter
HIGHEST PRICES OFFERED IN MANY YEARS
Mig Cut-OTs and Tunnels Being Buiit
by Union Pacific Cause Heavy
Demand for Worl<men
West of the Rockies.

The demand for laborers throughout all
sections Of the west continues to be greatly
in excess of the supply in spite OF the fact
that the winter season is coming on. The
supply Of men for transportation west OF
Omaha has fallen of more than half from
what it was during the summer, although
a considerable number is collected and for
warded every day. Wages still rule higher
than have ever been offered in many years
past.
The demand for men Is marked in Ten
nessee, Michigan, Minnesota Wisconsin,
Iowa and Nebraska, but is greatest in Colo
RADIO, Utah and on the western slope of the
Rocky Mountains. East of the Missouri
the causes are farm work and railroad
improvement. Farmers have had great
difficulty all over the country in getting
their crops in and the Chicago employment
bureaus are stiil advertising for farm hands
The extensive improvements the Milwaukee
and Northwestern roads have been making
the last summer have contributed to the
demands.
The men gathered UP by the Omaha em-
ployment agencies are practically all sent
west and the bulk OF them 60 10 Fitzpatrick
Brothers, who have contracts for between
81 200, 900 and $4,000 900 worth of work on
the Union Pacific. This firm has had the
greatest difficulty in getting men for it's
work this summer, and has been constantly
spurring the agencies here and elsewhere
to greater efforts. Besides the cutoff the
Union Pacific is building between Laramie
and Rawlins that road is constructing two
large tunnels west OF the mountains, work
on which will continue all winter, as the
climate on the western slope is favorable
to winter work and the soil is easily handled
even in cold weather.
1--WE are sending out twenty or thirty
men day now" said James Esberg, of the
firm of Clapp. G. Esberg, yesterday.
During the summer we were sending fifty
or sixty and some days ran up as high as
ninety. 1t is still very hard to get men
enough in fact, we simply cant get all
the men we want. We send out on the
streets and to all the places where men
hang around and try 10 persuade them to
go west and work. The wages paid now are
the highest offered In good many years,
but a few men are dissatisfied with them
and hold out for better ones. Our Chicago
Office gets men by running a w-priced
restaurant and free lodging house in connec-
tion. Men come in broke and we put them
up for the night without any charge and a
coed many Of them are glad to take our Of
fers Of work. We do that here to some ex-
'oht ai'o' "o ieeu t"o VI tnree nunured
| men day In our little restaurant. In this
way We get the men to come here"
Wages run from $1.75 to 1925 per day
| the higher figures, as general rule, obtain
| ing in the west. In Chicago men are offered
| 81 per day and free transportation to come tc
| Nebraska to work at that price, or $2.25 tc
| go further west. Railroad construction
| offers such variety Of opportunities, EN-
| ploying as it does drivers, diggers, spikers
| blacksmiths, steam shovel men, bridgt
carpenters, fence builders and engineers, thai
no man OF any trade need remain idle