The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1907-09-02
BY GUSTAVE HERPlN
Written Exclusively for The Press.

Written Exclusively for The Press.
PARIS, Sept FL am working
carpenter I'm luckier than work
men in many other classes, because
don't often have to go hunting for
work.
am in way under orders of a
master carpenter in whose work
shop go to get ready pieces for
houses I'm engaged on. Then, too,
I'm in with several "jobbers' who
don't forget me.
| have a pretty big family, for
France-6 children. 1t is hard to
rear them properly, but l of the
boys is old enough to work now,
and that helps me ont. | get IA
cents an hour for 10-hour days and
pretty evenly 6 days out of each
week; so the $40 get per week is
enough to let us manage without
the help of the boy.
| begin work at I O'Clock. ] live
in the MOntmartre district of Paris,
near the parts OF town where build
ing is likely to go on, and right
next to several of the suburbs
which are being built up.
AS soon as I'm dressed | take a
big bowl of black coffee, not eating
anything with it. This is the or
binary breakfast of the French
working man. The coffee. without
milk and with humps Of sugar,
represents cost of half a cent.
always take my lunch with me
In basket. This is our real break
fast. My breakfast consists Of 5
cents worth of meat, cents Of
vegetables, 2 cents of bread, and
half bottle of wine for 8 cents.
Starting at Z, | work till 9, and
rest for half an hour, when l gener-
ally nibble a piece of bread At $50
we start in again and work until
il, when we knock off an hour for
lunch. From u to 3 we work, and
then stop the third time for what
we call the accord" when all the
workmen engaged then go together.
There is very little alcohol drunk.
for we prefer the light country
wine. At $3.50 we go on again and
work until 6. In summer l some
times change the hours a bit. taking
the whole afternoon off and work
ing late into the night.
] always try to walk home, be-
cause have good legs and a good
family, too. There are plenty of
cheap cars for those who want to
ride.
It's about half past when I get
home, and then | play with the
children. Our dinner is a soup,
meat Of some description, generally
a stew, a vegetable, and once or
twice a week a piece of cheese
This costs 46 cents. The lunch OF
the 2 younger children we don't
have to count because they are fed
free at the "canteen" of the
school.
Our fiat of rooms and a bic
kitchen which we use as a dining
room costs us s1.04 per week. Then
we have fire insurance. In France
the law is IL a fire starts In your
rooms you're responsible not only
TO the proprietor, but to the neigh
Dors for loss TO them. We spend
$1.25 year of this and can claim
the price. Of anything burned. even
q suit OF clothes of blanket. pay
20 cents a month to a mutual aid
society; for this / get free medical
attendance and half my wages are
paid to me by the society so lang
as I'm laid up. Besides, after / am
b5, shall draw pension of 40
cents day.
Clothes are a big consideration,
but we can buy most on the install
ment plan. Our 2 children. still at
SCHOOL are given clothes from the
school fund. The big boy and i
can get a good suit for "a or S., and
the wife good dress for So or 81.
For the girl and the second and
third boys we count some 81 or SO.
We carpenters genera..y work
under the orders OF companion