AN AUSTRALIAN IN 'FRISCO.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 100, 25 September 1908, Page 5

AN AUSTRALIAN IN 'FRISCO.

Interes-Msvg CosnearlsoriS

During the period of unusual trade activity which reigned in San Fransisco immediately succeeding the great earthquake, large numbers of Australians and New. Zealanders, tempted by., the reports of the high wages, travelled to the American west; coast city in views of an Australian who remained in the city will be of.interest, as showing the conditoins at present prevailing. The following extract from a letter to a settler in this district draws some interesting comparisons between Australian and.American life:—

"I suppose you are like the rest of the Australians, think this is a great country where they have better .ideas. Well, let me tell you Australia has nothing to learn. She is ahead in a hundred ways. You can't go out with 2s Gd in your pocket and enjoy yourself here. You musfc'haye 10 dollars -and then you see nothing for it; 5 cents is the smallest coin (25d) and you pay that for a penny article. -Again take a band concert, which you can often hear in Australia on any afternoon. You don't see a band here once a year and they don't play, for-nothing; the Bandsmen's Union want 4 dollars a day— no 'such thing as free music. I liked fallowing the soldiers in Sydney to listen to their music. I have not heard a good band here yet; they consist of sixteen players and are kettle and side drum mad—more drum rattling than music. I bought a home, a four-roomed house standing on an allotment 25ft by 70ft, price 920 dollars cash; cost of searching title 15 dollars; then 1 dollar 30 cents to get new deeds; city charge to lay new sewer. 30 dollars (what I could have done myself in half a day); insurance cost, 11 dollars 20 cents for SBOO for three years; water, 65 cents .a month*. You can't trust the banks here so I drew mine out and bought a home with it. There is no post office saving's bank here, and people won't trust the banks; lots went "bung" since last October, so the people are putting their money in safe deposit vaults, paying 4 dollars a year for the safe keeping of their Wages here are big but living is in a country where you get a fair wage and living cheap. I get 60 dollars — .■£l2 —a month and could do just as well in Australia with SOs a week. A suit of clothes costing me 45 dollars is the same blue serge that costs 3Cs in Syd* ney; boots that cost 3 dollars 50 cents here cost 7s 6d in Sydney; socks 50 cents, Sydney Is; everything is double Hospitals here are very bad and horribly dear I had one lesson in a hospital, that was enough for me. I went and joined a .lodge-afterwards, the Sons of St.George, an English order. I get when sick 7 dollars 50 cents a week, also doctor and medicine—l dollar a month dues. I also belong to a Masonic order; it is very, strong here, nearly 1,000,000 members. Their last big conclave held once. in ten years, was held in 1904, 250,00 of them paraded. There is the Knight Templars, a high degree; then the Mystic Shriners anothee degree. They engaged Seell's Circus for a week last May. at 5000 del! ars a night; the Mosans made 25,000 dollars over which they gave to the Children's hospitals. Everybody in business nearly is a Mason in some degree or other of the thirty-two degrees. It is agreat country for lodges, in fact nearly every other man you meet is a member of some order or other —they' all have small buttons in the lapels of their coats. There ere nearly one hundred theatres in 'Frisco, ranging from moving picture shows to big theatres. The actors get very little rest—matinee at 2.30, 7.30, 9.30, and 9.45 to 12 at night, every day and every night, Sunday included. The people here have no use for anybody English. They class Australians as English. There are forty-three nationalities, German and Irish predominating. The Irish hate the Germans and the Germans hate the Irish. Before you-are allowed to land in this "free country" you must be able to show 50 dollars, then if you want to become a citizen of the United States you must pay 2 dollars a year poll tax, and 2 dollars special payment for citizenship. You get nothing fornothing here; the only free thing I have been able to discover so far is the air breathe. Every body, is trying to get rich,- and the Trusts get most of the dollars. The Trusts sell their goods cheaper in other countries than they do here; they have it all their own way; the tariff prevents other countries from competing with them. If you want any furniture, coal, groceries, fish,. fruit, flour, it is no use going from shop to shop because they all have nearly the same price; they don't undersell one another. Then the Unions are trusts. It is not a case of Union is strength. They try to keep you from joining. Take the bricklayers Union.- It costs 50 dollars to join and you must be a United States citizen. They charge such a big sum to join a trades union that a man must have a few dollars before they will lock at him; in fact everything is Union from paper boys and chewing gum boys to grave diggers. The busting ; of the banks shook the Unions up pretty severely. Men who wanted 4 dollars a day before are now glad to get work for 2 dollars. Before last May twelve months there were three jobs for every man; now there are 100 men for every job. are open all day'and night and Sunday, such places as banks, restaurants, chop houses, lodginghouses and saloons are always busy. The saloons have no doors, open Sundays and holidays—day and night. Only one day in the year they do no business —election day. Rents are 25 to 30 dollars a month for a four roomed fiat, no back yard; but in the back of Market street you can get a basement ri 1 r ollu. no h ' > T c lj all trie ] on e t tl i m 1 i l n r o 1 c nt t 1 i i t n v t \ u 1 ] hj( i i j i t h ,c< o 11CC110S il c < "t c cup j 1 1 t 1 111 up 1 ( -lit o 'ir a i i c (l \ i -\ n -. <~ o t 1 - Jno 'ill rci\ Jil tl T to i e pie std c it i o i cc l i ( doil i 0 e ? h l ci j c t n ' si a <- 1 1 poi an in 11 wir Pie nicn, baseball, football, coursing.

The theatres do a great business on [ Sunday; hawkers celling fruit; get ! your photo taken—in fact there is no I Sunday. Saturday is always very lively. You v.iil find as many people in the streets at 2 o'clock in the rooming as you will :>.■:: at < and Bat night. On Sunday the churches are empty. This place is prize fighting mad. Charges for admission to a .prise fight range from 1 dollar to 20 dollars. ' Last 4th of July 25,000 people witnessed the tout between Nelson and Gans, and every, week it is much the same. They are going'the pace that kills.' "