Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-09
LACK OF LABOR
HINDERS WORK
CONTINUED From First Pagcl

CONTINUED From First Pagel
been compelled to boost the price of
men considerably in order to get
enough men to overcome the serious
! handicap of inclement and unseason-
able weather.
City department officials. heads of
the outdoor departments of the trac-
ton company and even the construc-
tion superintendents OF the railroads
make pretty nearly the same COM
plant.
Rifles For Shovcls
The fact that many of the foreign
ers-whose labor could easily he had
for sixteen and two-thirus TO seven
teen and half cents an hour-have
gone back to their home countries to
exchange pick and shoveI for rife
in the trenches, is responsible for
much of the shortage: the demand for
labor of most any quality AT most any
price in the munition plants of the
country has caused general exodus
10 these industrial establishments. In
many of these plants the most ordi-
nary type of laborer who couldn't hope
heretofore to get more than fifteen
cents an hour for ten hours work can
readily obtain eighteen to twenty
cents an hour, The better type of
workman is assured of proportionately
more money.
Lack of sufficient labor however,
has affected various big jobs on the
city's Spring improvement schedule.
thus:
Up until this week the Central Con-
struction and Supply Company had
been unable TO organize a large
enough force to start the new paving
operations in Bellevue park. BY the
eh1 ,iiSi or the week, however, this job
VIII be well under way.
Where Work Is DELAYED
work on the river park slopes on
tne construction of the new flights
or steps to the wall, on the planting,
IN the parkway and in Wildwood has
not hot progressed Ss5 as rapidly as it might
nave mad the park officials not been
CONFRONTED with the problem of in
sufficient workmen,
Tree planting on McCormick's
Island has been practically given up
Tor this summer because there are not
enough skilled men to he had for the
purpose. The necessary filling in"
and trimming up of the river slopes
10 remedy the damage of the Spring
hoods, has been held back for much
the same reason. This is also true on.
the island Fairgrounds and in Wild
wood although the weather problem
has probably been the more serious
cerned
on the Cameron parkway lack of
men is the chief obstacle: Commits
sloner w. II. Lynch, superintendent of
streets and public improvements, is
up against a similar condition. Men
who have heretofore been glad to
work on the streets at a steady Job all
summer for sixteen and two-third
cents an hour. have eagerly hocked TO
the j. l.. L. Kuhn contracting Com
pany Job on the excavations for the
new freight station i'm South Second
street and other big railroad or Penn
sylVania Steel Company Improvement
works. There eighteen TO twenty
cents an hour has been possible.
Before the end of this week the
harrisburg Railways Company expects
to start its end of the new paving
work in North Second street from
Schuylkill TO Seneca. other sections
of city highways will be started bv
Mr.. Lynch within a few days.
A gang of thirty-five or forty men
has been the largest force Mr.. Lynch
has been able 10 muster thus far for
the street repair work. At that how
ever. the work has progressed rapidly
More than 5000 yards have already
been laid. Third street has been
placed in splendid condition and the
gangs have crossed over Maclay street
and are now coming down Sixth. The
repairs have been finished to about
Boas. When Sixth street is completed
Mr.. Lynch will turn his attention 10
Market and other streets in the busi
ness section.