The Ely miner., 1900-09-21

hoWOk - 41UUDoO
The Duluth Herald week ago had
the following to say regarding wages
for this fall:
"There is a greater amount Of new
work in sight this fall than for sew.
eral seasons past, and tue demand
for labor Is much greater than year
ago, when 1t was considered q most
favorable season for the labOringman.
It would be difficult for the latter to
put up cry Of hard times, with all
the opportunities now offered for work
and at good wages.
at is noteworthy of mention that
Duluth this season has demonstrated
herself as the labor center OF the
Northwest. More men have been
handled through the employment
offices here in day than through the
offices at Minneapolis In a week, and
almost in a month. Not but that
there is demand at Minneapolis for
the men. but the fact is that they are
all at the head of the lakes, closer to
the sources of work for which they
arc looking. One employment agent
at Minneapolis recently wrote that he
had orders for 500 men, but was talk
lily W uNC anu ONOu OhOh
getting none of these.
"Then, too. it must be remembered
that the supply of men for contract
work in the Northwest is drawn now
from local sources mainly. Owing to
the discouraging reports sent East
early in the season that there would
be light wheat crop in the Dakotas,
the influx of men that usually takes
Al INF Mort I, yua n @ n a6
to Kansas and Nebraska, so that the
a problem that could only be answer
ed by delay in their work or higher
wages. Owing to the shortage of
men, and the large amount OF new
work now under way, wages at the
beginning of the fall months are as
good. if not better, than was paid
last fall. when they were considered
at the maximum. In many cases,
however, the raise in wages has taken
place within the last few days. About
month ago the Eastern Minnesota
cut the wages of its trackmen from
SI.75 to $3.50 and S1.4O. AS conse-
uuence some whole crews quit, and it
was almost impossible to find men
that would work for this money. In
L. lIlCN ulu DoU huNC w WI N III iOs
because contractors on new work, in
almost any direction from this city,
were paying higher wages. The East
ern was forced to put the wages back
to S1.75, which the company did a few
days ago
Another change thtt has been
wrought in the past week or so that
is of interest to the woOdSman. is the
rise in wages paid in the woods.
Through an understanding among the
iumbermen some time since, wages in
the woods was cut to SIS and $22, but
in order to get men the lumbermen
have now raised the scale to $50 for
men for general work where they will
stay i'm camp for at least month. and
S26 per month in other cases.
''There are practically no men leav-
ing for the harvest fields now. 1t is
getting late in the season. the rail
road companies have taken off the
harvest rate, consequently the men
are not accepting any opportunities
for jobs in that direction. The same
might be said of the railroad contract
work in the Dakotas. The contract
orS are sending the most urgent de-
lnandS for more men. but the latter
do not show any inclination to go,
although the wages paid are So and
$3.50 per day.
1.-The railroad construction work on
the Brainerd & Northern extension
of the Northern Pacific at Bemidji is
said to be one Of the heaviest pieces
of work under way in the Northwest
ut the present time. HalvorsOn,
Richards g. Co., the head contractors,
expect to build forty miles of the
road toward the Rainy Lake country
this fall, and are sending large orders
for men to the National Employment
company in this city, which has the
exclusive contract to furnish the
labor.
1.-THE matter OF wages paid is of the
greatest interest to the laboringman,
and some of the figures are as follows:
Earth work, 20 to "a cents per cubic
yard: loose rock, 40 cents per cubic
yard; solid rock, so cents per cubic
yard; for clearing, S20 to $40 per acre;
for heavy grubbing, $3.50 per station;
day labor, $l.75. with board at $3.50
per week. ties on the right-Of-way are
worth 10 cents; logs in piling bring 3
cents per lineal foot; cOrdwOOd is
worth 81 per cord.
The shipment of men out of the
city to the various jobs is very heavy
during the week. One company alone
ships OH an average Of from 40 to so
men. These men are sent to Bemidji.
Hibbing and Virginia, where jobs for
teamsters and station men pay $1.75 a
day. with board at $3.50 week
Paulson and Richards are demanding
IL number of men for work near Glad
stone, Mich"