The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-13
Increasing Business With the
Globe Increases Business
for Business Men,
TUESDAY, OCT. 10, 1903.
COST OF LABOR TROUBLES.

The figures of the decline of building
operations contained in a statement
sent out from Chicago are greatly ex-
aggerated. That the dispatch was con-
structed for purpose is evident from
its record of great losses in building
operations in st. Paul during the last
year, whereas the official records show
important gains. The author of the
Chicago report says: TN Philadelphia,
st. Paul and St.-Louis the building de-
partment returns tell of gains, whereas
the testimony of well-informed persons
is decidedly to the contrary"
No sound or sensible conclusions can
be reached by any such process as this.
If one is out cunning for facts, he will
go to the official records. If he finds
them untrustworthy, he will give the
proof and state his own authorities in
contradiction. You can prove anything
you please in any community by al
legged opinions of "well-informed per-
sons"
While the entire value of the dis
patch is vitiated by such statements
as we have referred to, and while no
credence whatever can be placed in it's
Details we do know, and the whole
country knows, that most of the large
cities, and Chicago particularly have
suffered in their building operations
from labor disturbances. The matter
has now reached such a pass that the
erection of new buildings everywhere
is a matter of doubt and difficulty.
Few contractors are willing to enter
into definite engagements, and still
fewer capitalists take the chances of
tying up their funds where months or
years may elapse before the work can
be completed. If the recent plan pro-
posed for the federation of all the
unions related to the building trades
in this country into one grand or
ganization is carried out, and it's de-
clared purpose of waging war against
every organization not affiliated with
1t is realized, the situation will be
worse than ever.
One Of the great troubles in the
building trades, perhaps the greatest in
the large cities, has been not the in
ability of employer and employe to
come to terms, but the furious warfare
existing between rival unions them
selves. Contractors who have granted
every demand of their men, between
whom and their employees there was
not shade Of difference or of had
feeling, have been just as unable to
complete their jobs as If they had or
dered a lockout. Part of their work
was contracted for to one union and
part of 1t to another, and each posi-
lively declared that it would do no
work until the other had been rejected
and punished, and perhaps all the work
that it had completed was torn out and
thrown away. Thus these labor organ
izations have not oply injured capital.
but have crippled each other.
This difficulty has been most severe
in the building trades. although if is
not unknown in other lines of emplov-
ment. 1t has retarded the growth of
cities and maintained higher rate of
rents almost everywhere than would
prevail if capital were encouraged to
go into the house building business. It
has undoubtedly affected very materi-
ally the maintenance of general pros
perity In all the building trades men
have been out of employment for one
reason or another a great deal during
the last few years. These men sacri-
need their wages, and their purchasing
power was crippled to just that extent.