The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-28
LABOR SCARCITY
AND IN. ITS CAUSES Al J /:
House Rent Question Bugaboo.
Houses Can BE Found for
All Applicants.
WHITE LAsoR IS NEEDED
The Negro IS Back Number
in the Tobacco
Factories.
WHITE LABOR is NEEDED

4 |
The complaint of the scarcity OF la
Dor that has been heard in various
industrial fields for the past several
months is not altogether loud
and as pronounced as 1t has been. but
A there is yet room in Richmond for
many more working people.
1. The iron working establishments,
| the stove making factories. the shoe
factories the tobacco factories and
1 the wood working concerns notably
/ the Richmond CedarisW orks, are all
4 in need of hands and are clamoring
\ for more people to put on their pay
rolls but within the past two weeks
4 a number ofsvacancies have been filled.
i However. each and every ons OF the
hands and they are ready, willing and
i waiting to give employment to many
i more: people than are applying Tor
. places. g.
Tho Labor Situation.
Tho scarcity Of labor has been dis
\ oussed in a somewhat serious manner
by many Of the business men OF the
community within the past two weeks.
! It was alleged on the one hand that
: u
ments We're short Of labor was that
: Richmond was not prepared to enter
: tain laborers. That is to say. the la
: borer who Is worthy. of his hire finds
; difficulty when he reaches Richmond
to obtain a suitable home for himself
q and his family.
! t has been asserted by SOME that
! hundreds. maybe sthousands, Of good
|people have been turned away from
hichmond because OF the scarcity OF
houses that we're rentabie,
"A Real estate agents admit that there
& Is something of scarcity Of houses to
be rented, but they are Of the opinion
! that people who are seeking employ
, ment In this city will be able In one
! Eay Or another to fnd somewhere e
& nights, Il they look for them.
Material !Abnormally High.
So loud has been the, clannor for
more houses to rent at cheap rates
that number OF investors and not a
few promoters have taken the time
and the trouble to Investigate matters.
"A Tim ED dispatch man yesterday had a
talk with one OF these estiEators.
3 Said he: There IS whole lot of
Richmond money ready to be invested
in building operations when the time
seems to be rlpe tor It,. But do you
y :
more to build a house now than 1t did
last year? Building material and
q labor are abnormally high. They must,
Q lin the. very. nature Of the case, come
! down, and Is the opinion OF those
who have been looking Into the mat
!, ter that they will come down between
t now and the end OF the year.
]. Therefore, the people who are dis
a posed to invest their money In rent
!. able property are simply waiting for
= the change that they think is bound
S to come, II man builds a house now
4 for say $l,b00 and gets rent for It
u that pays him per cent on the In
!. vestment the chances are that his
/" reighbor will build one next spring
d just as good for $1,000 and, of course.
y the neighpor can cut under on the
9 rent price and vet make the same
}: percentage on the Investment. Under
these conditions It Is Impossible to get
!, capitalists to invest. In buildings"
e Where the Pinch Comes.
2 1t is probable that the tobacco .facto-
il ries have suffered moro than other
I concerns from the scarcity of labor.
= This Is due to the fact that the to-
q bacco factories are undergoing a kind
= OF modern revolution. The time was
81 ginia was operated with negro labor.
Z Negro labor is no longer reliable.
o. Strange as 1t may seem, the fact Is
~ the higher the wageF the less relia-
n bic Is negro labor, TA average negro
st requires only so much money to live
- on for a week. say, tor ilstance,ss5.
!. II he makes that S. on Monday o,
y on Monday and Tuesday, that means
10 TO him holiday for the balance O!
~ ths wsek. and nothing can induce hin
Il to work on the other days Of the week
He Is fixed for the week, What nlore
20. does he care for? Orders for tile pros
49, duct Of the factory may he accumu
4 Iating, business may BE delayed an(
=. all that kind OF thing, but it matters
~ not with Sambo. He has made hi
S., and that Is the end of 1t viii
r him. ! II required a weeks work ia
make the needed So, 1t would be DIFF
ferent. The result Of this sort of ne
gro logic has put the tobacco facto
, rtes of Virginia generally, and O.
Richmond, IN particular, on their mus
ella, and they are Offering all. kinds o
inducements to white peofle---msn
women ana girlee-who know some
i thing Of the code OF ethics and want L
the factories, They are, making tn,
and inviting but all the same there Il
an old Virginia IDEA that the Virgins
tobacco factory Is the home Of tn,
l. negro. Jtis no longer 80. There ar,
~ tobacco factories In Richmond whlel
h. are as neat as a parlarf and in whlcl
n working girls can earn as good wage
r. and do S pleasant work as II they wert
working at a stenographer's dask O.
fgN 4 a typewritec. .7 4tFal