THE RESTORATION OF SAN FRANCISCO.

Otago Witness, Issue 2734, 8 August 1906, Page 60

THE RESTORATION OF SAN FRANCISCO.

A DEARTH OF LABOURERS.

SETTLEMENT OP INSURANCE

CLAIMS,

[Per Sierra at Auckland.]

A San Francisco message dated July 12 . states:— This city is continuing to conduct." hereelf after a fashion that is astonishing ' to beholders. The catastrophe which overwhelmed her was so enormous that it "wac impossible to believe that San Francisco could follow the example of Chicago, of Charleston, and of Baltimore, and rise strengthened from her ashes; but visitor* from abroad now express perfect faith in the rebuilding- of the city and the maintenance of her commercial importance. The buildings now going up are not~ for the most part of a substantial character. They are mccc temporary affairs, in which ill is possible to carry on trade, which will make prouder structures possible in the near future. This maintenance of trade ie the most astonishing feature of the city's life. Owing to the fact that the wharves were not burned shipping was possible, and now, ■for the first time in 20 years, there is not an idle chip lying in all the great harbour of San Francisco. Already it has become apparent that there is a labour famine here. Contractors are appealing to the railroads to bring in labourers from the country which they traverse, and the rail* roads are responding that they can carry passengere but cannot secure labourers. They have not even beeu able to secure 4 thousaud, which number they themselv« need for the construction cf projected improvements in- the shape of cut-offs antf new lines. The railroads jeport that it is almost impossible to find men for rough work and repairs. Mr H. K. Gregory, of Santa Fe, who is interested in the matter, states that the shortage is partly due to the reports which have gone abroad to the. effect that the . labour market in San Francisco wa6 fulL It is charged in some quarters that theee- . reports have been circulated by the labour a:i ions of the city. The consequence is that . rough labour is demanding, and often re-. ■ ceiving, ' nearly as much pay as skilled . labour." Labourers receive 4dol and some- • times sdol a day, and are not to be had ' even then. Employers estimate that at , least 6000 men could be put "to work immediately at rough labour. The army has been rcu'eved, and the lied Cross has withdrawn from the work of rel'ef in San Francisco. Dr Devine, who was appointed by President Roosevelt, continues to work with the local committees, aud four or five million dollars, contributed tor tlve relief, is still on hand. Thi6 will, it is feared, be largely reduced by the expense cf administration. There seems to be no way of avoiding this, but the world has an opportunity of learning many things in this demonstration of mistakes ie. the matter of earing for a. stricken population. "Volan.es might be written, and perhaps will be written, on the work of relief.

fcfon Franc'sco's recuperative powers may be measured by the increase in its bank clearings and the diminution oi the decrease as compared with the corresponding weeks cf Jure of last year. The following figures show that San Francisco is rapidly returning to its normal conditions, tie weekly bauk clearings for June and the decreases as compared with the corresponding weeks of 1905 being as under: — Clearings. Decrease Dollars. Per Cenrfc. June 7 .. 25,082,626 .. 30.3 June 14 .. 30,207.734 .. 10.0 June 22 .. 30,31 6.113 ... 9.4 June 28 .. '30,147,592 .. 6 7 Business in the International RevenueOffice for June was 10 per cent, larger > than for the same month of last year, and that while the cigar and tobacoo factories , in San Francisco ware destroyed and th*liquor trade suspended. The business for the fiscal y«ar ended June 30 was 33 1-3 • per cent, larger than that of tlie preceding; year.

The insurance return in San Francisco - is not only vitally interesting locally, but is attracting the attention of all the world. The Attorney-general of California has just announced that he will not take action against the defaulting companies for 90 . days; hence the policy-holders must still exercise some patience. The Attorneygeneral has reached that decision only after mature deliberation, and in order to give tbo companies which are in difficulties every opportunity of righting their affairs for tho benefit of the insured. The solid companies continue to settle the claims made on them, many of them paying i« full. The action of the insurance commissioner (Mr Wolf) has been such that com- ■ panics trying to evade the payment of tho ju^t claims of the losers in San Francisco will bo obliged not only to qnh the CaKfornian field, but to retire from 'business, at least in America. It is possible thati the German companies, which ha-ve been most remiss, and which seem willing to withdraw from the State raltoei than mee6 their obligations, may bo received in thedr own country. It is stated that the Germans generally believe that San Francisco was destroyed by gaithquake, and that the ruins only were burned. It remains to be seem what the outcome of the controversy may >be. Santa Rosa, which suffered terribly ]m the firte and earthquake, is complaining of the difficulty of obtaining a settlement with * the insurance companies, which reply that) they will settle all claims where the build 1 " ings were not seriously damaged by thai earthquake, but that they will not pay the losses where any substantial part of the buildings fell, as their t>olicies do noil call for such nayment. The beautiful littla city of San Jose, which suffered severely from the earthquake did not burn. ThJll city has been reoaired to a great extend* and is now flourishing.