Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

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966 The Real Estate Record October 15,1881 company to have their plans pushed with rapid¬ ity, but notwithstanding they are employing over 200 men, it will be a work of several years before tlie entii-e city will be supplied with steam power. The strike of the bricklayers during the week lias been of cjuite an extensive character, but does not appear to be justifiable, and met with determined resistance. The facts in brief are as follows: The compact entered into last spring between emyloyer and employee, on the basis of •Sy.of) per daj^ until December 1st, and noted in the KKConi) at the time, was adhered to until the extreme pressure of building operations made workmen \ery .scare when, yielding to the law of supply and demand, the nnister buUd'>rs ad¬ vanced the rate to >^4,()0 jier day, and in some cases, even this^\vas exceeded. Now that build¬ ing has .slackened oil", somewhat, the demand for labor lins made a correspondiag shrinkage, and employers naturally expect workmen to submit to tho adverse turu of the same law of supply and (leiaand tiirough which the receivers of wages recently held their advantage. All that has been aslced is, that the rate shall go back to the terms ofthe original agreement, viz., .$3,50 per day, and against this very reasonable proposal comes the strike. Naturallj'^, the master masons are indignant, and seem inclined;'to make a strong effort to carry their point. The strike has had scarcely any influence upon the market for ma¬ terial, mo.st kinds of which have continued to sell eely at full rates, and, indeed, on brick there is en a sliglit hardening of values. There is nothing new in the mining market. There are scarcely any outside orders and the trading is done by tlie In-okers, The public has beeji " stuck" so often that it refuses to pay out any more money for stocks which always decline and never a