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252
retail. The price varies from £16 to £40. Some 16 or 18 men, all
Italians, are occupied regularly throughout the year, either in the
manufacture or repairing of organs. The wages of polishers and
stringers average about £2 a week, but the music markers are paid
£3. It is said that all the materials are of " British manufacture."
Most of the employes came from Turin, Genoa, and the north of
Italy. This firm also store organs, and in their sheds in the Italian
quarter may be found 40 or 50 barrel-organs. These belong to
different Italians, who pay "shed money." When an Italian
desires to do a day's barrel-organ playing, he hires from neighbours
who own organs. It is said that whilst North Italians make the
organs, Southern Italians play them. As a general rule, it may be
said that the expert work accomplished by Italians is commonly
done by North Italians, and the unexpert work by Southern Italians.
Barrel-organ playing has now become a general annoyance in
London, and is greatly on the increase. Most of the people are
simply lazy, and some of them are worse. They do well, make a
considerable amount of money, and are only grinding with a hired
organ whilst their ice-creams are cooling, or their asphalte
hardening. The Italian Immigrant has many strings to his bow,
and when he returns in the autumn to his own country, it is with
sufficient cash to carry him through the winter. Next spring will
see him back again, or he may decide to stop in England for
two or three winters, and then retire on the proceeds. In the
winter he will roast potatoes and chestnuts, and work the barrelorgan
; in summer he will change his occupation to asphalte laying
and ice-cream making.
The occupation of the other aliens in the Borough besides the
Italians is various. The Germans are, perhaps, chiefly working at
furniture, tailoring, and the baking trade. About 190 men are
engaged as bakers, and more than half of them are Germans.
Many persons of the same nationality, and many Swiss, are
engaged in the watch-making and jewellery trades.
New Trades introduced by Aliens.—It is probable
that in many ways aliens have introduced modifications into
existing processes carried on in Finsbury. In some cases these