Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-02

in the government workshops at Shanghai
they have made steel rails and locomotives
as well as all sorts of cannon and rifles.
W~heeIbarrow Union.
In opening up railroads our capitalists
will have the opposition of the
union, the Boatmen's union and the Wheel
barrow union. 1t seems strange to speak
of a wheelbarrow union, but there are thou
sands of such organizations here, covering
all parts Of the country. The wheelbarrows
are the drays of the cities and they are TO
a large extent the freight cars of the coun-
try. They are used to carry passengers as
we'll as freight, and the unions will oppose
the introduction of electric cars on the
claim that they will injure their business.
There are in Shanghai alone almost 5000
passenger and cargo wheelbarrows, each of
which pays a license of 600 cash, or 70
cents a month. The license until within
a short time was 400 cash, or 90 cents a
month, and the raising of it has now
brought about a big strike on the part OF
the Wheelbarrow union. The officials claim
that the wheelbarrow men can easily pay
this amount, as they make about SIS a
month in silver, or 81 in gold, and that this
is ample to keep themselves and their fam
lilies. A similar strike took place some
years ago, when the license fee was raised
from rs to so cents a month.
Servants Unions.
Among the curious unious are those Of
the men servants who work for foreigners.
I do not know that their rules extend to
Chinese, but hey are very rigid as to Eng
lish, Germans and Americans. These serv-
ants take the place Of the hired girls OF our
country. The members Of their unions have
regular meetings, in which they discuss
their masters and mistresses and report
upon them. II you dismiss a servant the
union may boycott you, and 1t may be a
year before you can get another. A lady
friend of mine, a missionary, recently
caught her boy stealing and discharged
him. She employed others, only to find
them leaving after a few days on some
plea or other. The director of the Pacific
Mail Steamship line had a Chinese boy who
abused his little son. He discharged the
boy and could not get another for a long
time. One of the foreigners of Shanghai
recently took a Wenchow man into his
house as a servant. The Shanghai union
objected and forty of its members broke
into the house and took out the Wenchow
man and thrashed him. The directors wife
sent out her riksha cooley to bring the po-
lice, but the union men set upon him and
broke his arm.
In these union meetings whenever a serv-
ant takes a new place he asks for a report
on the master and mistress, and the other
servants who have been employed there
rise and give him a full statement as to his
or her habits, whether he or she is pleasant
to live with, whether he or she drinks and
whether there is a fair chance for cumshaw
or commissions. Every servant, Of course
expects to mak his percentage on all that
comes into the house in the way Of market
ing, and l might also say to make as much
more as he can.
Our Minister as "A jam Eater.
AS a result of this principle the foreign
ers must watch their accounts very care.
fully to prevent overcharging. l know o
one English bachelor whose servant brough
him in a bill the other day charging hin
for three pounds of beef every day for
month. This was too much beef for one
man and the bachelor gagged. Consul Gen
eral Goodnow was charged with twent!
cans Of Jam during a recent two weeks
visit Of Colonel Conger, our minister a
Pekin. Now, the consul general and hi
wife are both light jam eaters and Colone
CONTINUED on Eighth Page.)