New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-20
The Poor Rag Picker Is the Vic
tim of a Trust

Profiting by New Yorks waste has not al
ways been reduced to its present scientific
state. 1t has been but few years since bent
backed rag pickers, armed with crooked wires,
pokers or sticks, wandered about the streets
collecting all that had any seeming value from
the ash and garbage cans. Then came an cpl
demic of stories about rag pckers who, after
dying of Geld and exposure in bare garnet
chambers, were shown TO have been possessed
of great wealth, all of which was popularity
supposed to have been extracted from the rub
Dish cans.
Or, it is Just possible that the attention Of
capitalistic organizers was attracted to this
fruitful field by the then popular song which
immortalized his cry Of "any rags, any bones,
any bottles to-day; the same old story in the
same old way"
At any rate. it was just about the time the
then President Roosevelt was making the
country's biggest trusts ashamed Of them
selves that some iend for organizing swooped
down upon New York and showed the city that
it had been overlooking a big source Of rev.
enue when il failed to sell the rubbish-looting
privilege. The city fathers listened attentive
ly and finally agreed 10 permit this individual
whose name appears to have been lost 20 his
tory, to enjoy exclusive rights in the field 10
return for certain sum, to be paid each
month.
Since that time the price Of the privilege has
been increased. through competitive bidding
until it has reached almost undreamed-of pro
portions. Moreover, the life of the old.tims
ragpicker-the independent of the new order
has been made increasingly miserable. Re
Gently he has been eliminated from the field
completely by the passage Of a city ordinance
which makes it misdemeanor to remove any
thing from garbage or refuse can.
There are those who insist that the ord-
nance was passed for the sole purpose OF pro
tecting the organized collector Of garbage
The authors of the measure assert however
that it was passed solely as health pre0S
ton. No matter which be true, it is being en-
forced so vigorously that the housewife w@
accidentally drops a plate into garbage csi
while dumping the kitchen refuse is in dsngsf
Of arrest if caught in the act of removing
again.
Profting by the example of those who msn
big and profitable industry of the seemingly
insignificant one Of rag picking, many ldss
have been brought forth recently with 1ns
object of making other classes of refuse assay
their weight in gold. Probably the most ors'
inal Of these is project that was devised
the fertile brain of one Bill" Williamson, one
time publicity man and now employed b.
Toledo newspaper.
Close observation of the habits of those s''
possess gold pieces had convinced "Bill' %"
in most cases the coins were carried IN w'
pockets in order to associate them from Us
plebeian silver pieces and to prevent possI0S
error in spending them Such being the CO.
he argued, why wouldn't vest pocket aas
mulate considerable gold during a useful ".
as a depository for double eagles! Ina'
seemed TO be but one answer to the quesl"
Having obtained it, he propounded sncus
Why not buy up all the discarded vests IN y
world, remove the pockets, burn them
scoop up the gold? The answer was jas'
easy =.
So conclusive is "Bill's" reasoning thar -
friends are eagerly looking forward to the -
when they will see international Yes. foss.
Ltd, listed on the stock market and enjoy'V
big boom.