Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-08-14
rnE WELLINGTON COAL MINERS,
STRIKE.
Victoria Standard. |

I. has already been announced in
these columns that the white coal
miners employed at the North and
| South Wellington mines, situate at De
parture Bay, have gone on strike, but as
Yet the real reason for the temporary
suspension of operations has not been
explained through the press. Yester-
| day, In conversation with a practical
miner, q reporter of the Standard elic-
| tied the following facts. In reply 10 a
question as to the number of white
men who would be out Of employ BY the
strike the answer came quickly, 100
or thereabouts."
Rep.-As compared with Chinese how
many will that represent of the former
class
Probably m.a
What is the real cause for the
strike p
Well. the men formed a Union !;
that Is, the white men, Is was known
that there was Q certain amount of
favorltlsm going on amongst the
miners and the underground boss
This thing has been coming to focus
for more than four months. There
vas trouble then and strike Was prob
able"
Well, bat why q
The underground Superintendent or
boss has had his favorites and he would
give them the preference of the stalls in
which they were to work the coal. Then
there Was trouble about the yardaSe. A
man had face of coal to pick and if
miner can get on to an easy face be can
make from g to 81 per day where
man on bad face of coal can't make
his board bill. You see, YOU get yardaee
according to the quality of the coal in
addition. to the rate for mining. The
pay now for getting out the coal is only
&c. per ton. Before the last strike.
when Sheriff Harris cams MP with the
militia under Mr.. Elliot's orders, the
pay was 81 10 per ton"
How do prices affect the striker"
well. the men feel that thew have
been gradually cut down in pay and
many of them say that they have to |
mine 25OOfbs. of coal and only get credit |
for Q ton. Here is the shortage in |
weighing-then there is the 'cobblinp' |
question as against favoritism. In Aus |
tralia and in England it is usual to cob |
BILE for choice OF stalls, where they |
draw lots every three months for the |
pick of places. but at Departure Bay it |
Is not SO. Then when the face of the |
GOAL gets harder to work We used to get |
a dollar in addition to yardage and min |
ing. But nov that is knocked of and |
We get nothing extra. The union was |
formed among the men to protect them |
selves against these reductions. When |
the Union was formed the men who had |
taken a leading part in it were dis |
charged and We now demsnd that they !
shall be re-instated and that instead of |
60 for getting out the coal the price |
shall be 80 cents Der ton. That is what |
We are justly entitled to-"
what is the actual cost of getting |
out the coal and sending it to the San |
Francisco market!'
SWELL, We have figured that mp lots Of |
times. At present it is e. cents for dig
cling it; then il costs about $l.50 per ton |
to put it ON board the ship; then the |
charter will be about So per ton to San |
Francisco, and then there is an import |
duty of 75 cents per ton. The dollar /
and half includes the whole thing for |
top work, office business and all. SO |
you can see that at the price which |
British Columbia coal has been fetch
ing at San Fanncisoo-two dollars per
ton more than any other local coal-we
are right in demanding our proper pay,
or somewhere near it. 1t is reported |
that the steamship Wellington is to
bring lot of Cinnamon to supplant |
white labor, though l don't think SO,
that may have been threatened.
Mr.. Dunsmuir is stubborn, and will no
doubt make hard fight, but We shall
fight, too, for our rights. Most of the
white men who are now on the strike |
are married men and have families. |
Some men are leaving the mines be-
cause the pay does not cover their board,
or hardly So"