Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-01
MAKING PROGRESS SLOWLY
Obstacles in the Way of Rapid Uplift in
San Francisco,
THREATENED SCANDAL IN RELIEF FUNt
Earring Note Concerning distribution
of Humanity's BOunty-Great
Activity in Souvenirs
and "BIind Pigs"

The new San Francisco is not rising from
| the ashes as rapidly the people ex-
pccted Temporary shelters are multiply
ing rapidly, but general progress Of a sub
stantal character is aggravating slow.
| The chief obstacle, as noted in the dis
patches, is the determination of insurance
| companies to reduce their losses or con-
| test them. Practically all insurance COM
panies are united for a reduction. The
! difference is in the methods adopted 20
| reach that end. A majority Of the COM
panies insist on % per cent reduction.
| These are dubbed the "six-bit companies"
The remaining companies propose to pay
dollar for dollar. II is noted by San Fran
cisco papers, however, that the dollar-for-
dollar companies, while publicly protesting
a square deal for all, are diligently SEEK
ing proof of earthquake losses on which to
base contests for reduction of claims The
! large sums tied up in the insurance squab-
I BILE, involving all property owners neces-
sarily retards rebuilding in every direc-
| ton. -.-.
| Another feature OF the situation is the
| scarcity of labor, skilled and unskiled
| One of the directors of the Builders eX-
| change explains the situation in these
| words: 'At present the greatest demand is
| for plasterers, brick masons carpenters and
| hod carriers. The prevailing wage for plas-
terers and brick masons is s. per day of
eight hours, and from 81 to $3.50 for hod
carriers. Carpenters are paid from "a to
IS per day. AS yet there is no great de-
mand for fathers, stone masons or painters.
| As the temporary structures now going up
are ceiled and not plastered, fathers are
not generally employed, and there is no
stone work"
SnarIinR About Relief Funds.
The distribution Of relief funds invaria-
| bly, develop scandals and San Francisco
| will not be an exception to the rule II
credence is to be given the assertions Of
nearby observers The San Francisco cor
respondent of the Oakland Tribune writes:
Already rumors are anoat dealing with
discrepancies in the accounts OF the finance
committee. Instead Of formally contradict
ing these stories or Offering evidence to
prove their inaccuracy, the finance COM
mittee is devoting its energies to ways and
means for the distribution of a large per-
centage of the money entrusted to its care
among high salaried employees.
Meanwhile prominent downtown mer-
chants who have not received payment
for goods delivered at the request of the
committee declare they will sell nothing
more to that body save for cash. This
is certainly a lamentable condition OF
affairs.
THE proposition TO pay three inexpe-
rienced men salaries Of 5000 a year each
to see that this money is properly mis-
appropriated is an infamy. Owing to the
superior incompetence OF the various per-
, sons named for these jobs. it would be
necessary that they be supplied with a
corps OF assistants able to do the detailed
1 To-. fhaa Lee, -
would eat up. say. 10000 year So you
see the paid employees would consume in
the neighborhood OF $4,000 a year of the
relief fund before the victims OF the dis
aster, for whose sole benefit the money
was so generously contributed, could get a
! scent piece"
How IL Looks to an Eastern Man,
Joseph Calvert, vice president of the
Commercial National bank OF Chicago, re-
Gently returned from San Francisco. throws
acme light on business conditions at the
Golden Gate as he observed them. II
appeared to him that fully 20 per cent of
the population of the stricken city had
moved away, The salaried people in lines
Of mercantile business have found II
necessary TO seek employment elsewhere
and they have gone north and south along
| the coast and some have come east. San
, Francisco has also lost its trade with
Alaska. That has gone to Seattle. It,
trade with central and southern California
has gone largely TO Los Angeles. lts
northern trade has gone to Portland, Seat,
, tie and Tacoma. As TO what Is left, and
! the outlook for the future, he says:
} But the city has left one Of the finest
harbors in the world; It has its docks uu'
? injured, 1t has its railroads. and It hal
good banks. With these primary condi
D lions the city is bound to grow. The tall
r of rebuilding It in a year or two, though
4 appears TO me almost idle. II Is not
case Of acres OF ruined buildings, but Of
miles The business section will be re
built San Francisco has a great many
q rich people, and IL Is these who will re-
: construct the business center. They wer,
: the owners OF the ine Office and mercantile
5 structures and they have determined Il
! have a new San Francisco. AS 20 tn,
3 banking situation. there is no demand fo
! money. The banks have more deposits
now. as a whole. than before the hre- TIT