Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-25
BUILDING PROSPECT,
Interesting Interview With Contractor
Purinton of WaterviIIe.
This Season Rereabouts Va,uabI,
Buildings Will Ee Built.

Horace Purinton of WateryilIe the
well-known contractor and builder. was
| in the city, yesterday, and was seen by
| the Journal in regard to the building
prospects for the coming season.
II have never known a spring. said
Nh Purinton, "since l have been in
business when the prospect was so good
as it is this year. The situation is re-
markabIe. | do not remember another
spring when SO much work had been
laid out at one time as at present. |
mean large work. you know. In my
calculations | do not take into consid-
Grafton the repairs and enlargements
of houses. but / mean the erection of
large new buildings, for public and
private use, which have been begun and
which are projected in this section.
The only unWelcome element that
enters into the situation is the prob
able scarcity Of lumber. Logs intended
for manufacture on the kennebec are
not yet into the main river and there is
not water enough at present to move
them. There must be heavy rains be-
fore they can be started. In conse-
ouence Of the condition of the lumber
market we cannot make estimates with
any degree of certainty that when the
lumber is needed it can be obtained At
this time spruce boards are quoted at
500 a thousand. which is a very high
price. We cannot secure quotations on
dimension stuff at all. So you can see
that in this respect we are to a certain
extent in a Quandary. But l am in
are fully under way there will be a
change for the better.
There must be at least S2G0. 600 worth
of buildings already planned in this vi
cinity; that is, in the kennebec valley.
Here in Augusta the erection of Gov
ernor Hills stable, the Alden building
and the addition to the schoolhouse
over the river" Will be begun in a short
time. In Hallowell $4,000 schoolhousc
is to be built. One-half of the money
for this purpose was donated to the
city by the late Mrs. Lowell, and the
balance is to be provided by the city.
In Waterville the Savings Bank peo-
pie will erect a $50 900 business block,
ana the odd Fellows of Fairfield will
put up a building to cost $4,000. In
Oakland Il new wooden mill is to be con-
structed that will cost $4,000, and Gin
ton will build $4,000 schoolhouse. The
Marston Wooden Co. of SkowheSan, will
build q $4,000 wooden mill in that town.
80 you can see there is quite lot
Of building to be done. the coming sea-
son. Those | have mentioned are not
all that are in prospect. In Waterville
there has been a great scarcity of first
class tenement houses and this season
several will be built by our citizens for
renting purposes. .ta.L
1T seems to me that Maine is now in
very prosperous condition. There APP
pears to be plenty of work in almost ev-
cry branch of business, for those who
wish to labor, which is of course a
healthy and satisfactory condition of
affairs. Somehow or other, there is not
the same amount of labor troubles TAX
ing place in this State as occur in some
of the other states, and this fact is a
source Of benefit to all.
Il really believe that our freedom
from labor troubles must be attributed
TO the character and disposition of our
working people. They are not easily
influenced by outsiders and they attend
to their work in a regular steady and
loyal manner l do not mean that they
are ready to sacrifice all their just
rights at the behests of their employers,
but they calmly reason with them and
are able to come to a settlement of any
difficulties that may arise without
trouble or annoyance of any kind; and
both sides are benefited by pursuing
such a wise course.
I'm my business : employ none but
Union bricklayers. Before the Union
was organized my men worked 10 hours
a day. The bricklayers got together
formed their society and then asked for
o day of hours. 1t was granted to
them and I am perfectly satisfied with
the result. My bricklaying does not
cost me so much by to 5 cents per
thousand now as it did when the men
worked 10 hours. For 3 hours they re-
ceive the same pay that they did when
they worked 10 hours. l can account
for this fact on no other ground than
that the Union makes the men better
mechanics and more dutiful than when
they were disunited and disOrganized
Whether the men would be able to
do 8 hours of work in s hours or not
the future will have to determine. The
trend of events, however, points to its
realization before many years."