The La Jara chronicle., 1908-10-09
Labor Demand
in Colorado
PROSPEROUS TIMES FOR THE
WAGE-EARNER


Company today" in discussing the
present demand for employees on the
part Of power companies and railroads
ia this section of the country.
I'VE are now shipping men daily to
our power projects at Shoshoue, ten
miles from Glenwood Springs and Sui
phide, in northern Colorado. At pres
ent It is extremely difficult to get the
number of men we desire for this work
and the same difficulty is being exper-
railroads.
Il have no doubt" he continued.
that 1000 men could procure work
in this part of the country today If
they were available. Fitzpatrick Bros.
& Collins. whose headquarters are at
Beatrice. Neb.. are doing track work
for the Union Pacific railroad in Wyom-
ing. Nebraska and Kansas and l under
stand their need OF men is very great,
The same is true Of Nancy Bros, con
tractors now working in Nevada. on
the Western Pacific railroad: we have
reports to the effect that they could
use one thousand men on this work.
"If the proposed Semper dam, near
Denver. upon which bids are now being
received. is contracted for soon, this
will furnish work for fully another
thousand men. This demand for labor
has been felt upon the part of power
companies and railroads for some
weeks past and there has never been
time in Colorado since the worst per
Tod Of last winter when men were not
required. Most of these great enter
prises have been able to keep going at
all times and have supplied work for
eastern laboring men coming this way
for employment"
It can scarcely be said at the pres
ent time that there Is an actual labor
shortage. although the demand for
working men is very brisk. The spec
iaI class of work for which the power
companies and railroads need men is
little more difficult to find men for. but
the pay is from s1.7j to 5000 per day
and there is no necessity for men be
ing out of employment. At the same
time there will perhaps be a shortage
of labor in the near future. as hundreds
OF men are now going into the beet
fields to harvest the crop which is just
maturing
The beet crop this year so far as the
Individual grower is concerned is not
quite what it was last year but in the
aggregate it is fully as large as there
are many more growers in the business
this year. which will bring the yield
fully up to the normal.
There is also a constant demand for
men at the present time to work in the
coal mines and smelters now operating,
and men desiring that class of labor
have little difficulty in obtaining work
In due time after application is made
Aside from the great projects OF
the eastern Colorado Power Company
and the various railroads, there are
any number of important irrigation
projects constantly demanding men.
Near Canon City large force OF
WOTh1uen is DtlHS tiipIostu III INV
construction work at Royal Gorge and
innumerable irrigation projects in the
Grand valley, Uncompaghre valley
and other parts OF the western and
central portions of Colorado are in ac-
tive operation.
With reference to the demands OF
the various railroads seeking men, one
OF the staff of the engineering de-
partment of the Moffat railroad. who
has been making a special investiga-
ton of the labor situation, said today:
"The Union Pacific railroad, Bur
iington railroad, Colorado & Southern,
Western Pacific, Denver, Northwestern
& Laramie and Moffat railroads have
all been using all the men they could
find during the last two months and
are now on the lookout with special
employment agents for practically all
the. men they can find seeking work.
The railroads are offering sl.75 for
foreigners and $500 per day for Ameri-
can laboring men.
Denver has been completely
secured for available laboring men and
at the present time there are very
few to be had. Colorado & Southern
recently sent between three and four
hundred men to Texas to work on the
Fort Worth & Denver City railroad.
More men are required by this road
for Texas lines and are being sent
there as they apply for employment"
This report has been fully confirmed
by representatives of the various rail