The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-27
HEY! WANT A job
There's a Big Howl For
Labor Over Here.
People Are Coming Into This State
Rapidly, But the Industrial De-
velopment Calls For More,
More. More
More. More!

Especial to News and Observer
Greensboro. II. c., June 26.-The
board of highway commissioners are
holding a special session to devise
means of avoiding embarrassment in
the progress of road building caused
by difficulties in getting labor, lGs
pecially is this the case with the Oper-
alton on the High Point section Of the
four road forces in the county. That
force has been reduced to fifteen men.
The contractor grading and ballasting
for the Southern Railways double
track between Greensboro and High
Point is paying $1.40 a day for ali
laborers who apply.
The country had been previously
canVassed by agents of the immense
Yadkin River Development Company
at the NarroWs, near Salisbury, for
$l.25 a day on four years contract.
The highway commission pays one
dollar per day, and were it not for the
fact that their road work is less strain
ing than railroad or river work, they
would be without hands.
Speaking of the strike last week Of
the section hands on the Mt. Airy
branch of the Southern Road, a gen
tleman from Winston says that, while
there was no strike on the railrodT be-
tween WiikeSbOrO and Winston. there
We're none but section bosses on the
whole line of railroad He said il
paid 20 cents day, the old price, and
not being able to raise the wages to
meet the rise in other places, the en-
ployes just walked from their 20 cent
jobs into jobs paying nearly twice as
much. He said mat there was no way
to change n rule or law of the South
ern Railway to meet an emergency;
that it took about as long to get
through the red tape requirements 'at
Washington city headquarters as it did
to see & government contract COM
pleted.
There is said to be a crying need Of
laborers i'm the various factories at
High Point. manufactures from
there said this morning that one HUN
bred men could get employment there
ON five minutes notice 1t is certainly
the case in Greensboro. Not only do
the factories employ girls and women,
but keep agents out looking for such
labor; and those employing men and
boys are ever on the lookout for more
help.
Chairman of the board Of county
commissioners w. II. Raglan, of High
Point. who does a great deal of think
ing. replying to an assertion of an
other gentleman that it looked like all
the laborcrs were leaving North Caro-
lima, said the people and many news
paper editors, he thought, had a wrong
idea about this matter. He said, ac-
cording to his knowledge of condi-
tions. not only here but elsewhere in
the State, the opportunity for employ
ment had been developed far i'm excess
of The natural increase Of population.
That by new oyenues of employment
being orened 20 women and Children
the working population of North Car
olina in the past five years had been
increased $50 per cent, and the wage
earning power 100 per cent. although
this amounted to an immense immi-
grafton Of labor, so rapidly was the
increase in such developments still
going on there was 4 crying need Of
addition to the ranks of wage earners
Instead of people leaving the State
his observation was that for e. rry
able bodied family who left the State
three were coming in.