Show MONOPOLY E SYSTEM HAS INVADED NEW YORKS FERRIES men who control the Boot blacking privilege on board the and in jarge J arge A that has grown the unfailing law of business is that wherever there is an opportunity for the profitable investment of capital the money is forthcoming to keep that business booming and to ekizo upon the most advantageous sites and so it has come about that capitalists have not disdained disdain ed to take hold of the boot blacking business while waiting for a boat outside of the twenty third street ferry to jersey city a son reporter got a shine from a remarkably bright and efficient american boy whose mode of cleaning and shining indicated a good daal of experience why dont you go inside and pick up business on the boats where your customers can get comfortable seats inquired the reporter 1 I wish I 1 could said the boy but they wont let me do it why I 1 have seen boag on the boats blacking boots and they seem to make lots of money yes they dont see a day that they do not pick up at least a dollar and from that all the way up to three or four or sometimes five bat they cant keep the money themselves why not they have to give it up to the italian padrones there are three italians who havo bought the right from the railroad company and they are the only ones who are permitted to black boots on the ferryboats ferry boats they have hired a lot of italian boya to whom they pay three 1 dollars or four domars a week and tho boys are compelled to give up all their earnings to the padrones who hire them j if the boys do not turn in an amount that is believed to bo all their earnings the padrones put on spotters and witch them and see that they do pay up BOOTBLACK PRINCES well why dont you go in and buy the right to shine boots on the boats me why do you know what those padrones pay for the right to black boots on all the boats they pay over 2009 a year and keep the mens cabins clean A poor boy much chance to get that job I 1 used to work for them but I 1 find I 1 can make more money by standing outside and catching some of the customers before they get on the boat then all I 1 get is clean profit and I 1 dont have to pay over to any on all the steamboats and steamships and railroads at the hotels in froni of saloons in fact everywhere where men go there are to be found capitalist bootblacks who hire the best places or there is an arrangement by which the owner of the boat or hotel or barber shop hires some one to do the boot blacking and takes the money himself there have thus arisen several bootblack princes such as the enterprising italian who has the monopoly of the boot blacking at the produce exchange or the happy colored gentleman wha dees up the business in the equitable building many of the bootblack princes have wives and families and nice homes and they dress well taud live well at the big hotels the income from the privilege of blacking boots is a considerable part of the revenue of the house it has long ceased ti be a perquisite of tho servant A chair in a good place will yield five dollars a day for boot blacking and on extra occasions a good deal more the bulk of the work is done by men it really requires considerable bone and sinew to black a pair of boots well and the man who has once noticed the difference between the way an average boy does it and the way a man takes bold of the work will not care to risk the boys work again IN BOOTS there are a good many points about blacking boots that give scope to the genius of the workman as in all manual occupations the bootblack who once establishes a reputation for quick and good work has his fortune made men will go out of their way to meet him and will wait their turn as for a favorite barber on hot days bootblacks chairs are very tempting on the street comers in the shade and many a man stops and takes a shine just for a rest the summer is the bootblacks harvest because there is so much traveling and so much dust some saloon exact rent from the italians who have chairs for in front of their saloons others are content to use the italians services in up running errands sometimes the proprietors prie tors come ont and occupy the chairs ss lounging places to the great chagrin of the italian owners some time ago it was pointed ont that a good many women would get their shoes cleaned and shined ap men do if they could have the same facilities nobody seems to have acted on this suggestion yet but it seems likely that there would bo money in it when one man finds ont that there is money in it others will follow As it is many women ara ashamed of their shoes and long to get up on the chairs and have a shine occasionally a venturesome girl does so but she generally finds herself an object of considerable curiosity improvements may be seen in the evolution of the boot blacking business fancy chairs better a man at each foot the use of chamois bands for finishing little points of attention to dress the varnishing of russet shoes the oil shine all these show that the bootblacks are in harmony with the spirit of the age that they have their eyes open to the necessity for keeping pace with the progress that is going on in other departments part ments of human activity when tho chorus of the nations calls upon each business to show what it has done of importance the evolution of society the modem bootblack will take no subordinate place but he will shine like one of hia own most polished new York Sun |