The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1888-07-05
Only eighty CENTS A 9AY.
Wages OF the Protected
lrOn.OrC Miner OF
Pennsylvania.
The Benefits Of q High Tariff.

PGilisSyIVaiiia.
The Benefits Of o High Tariff.
PHILADELPHIA, June 29ih.-i
Eighty cents day for native
American labor in Republican
Pennsylvania and in the well
protected iron industry This is
the record for Lehigh Valley. and
the wages are these Ofihe miners
who dig the iron ore for the fur
naces that crowd the Lehish Val
lev. The Italian scavengers who
sweep the filth from Chestnut
street are paid 81 so for their un-
protected labor. Once they work
ed for 80 cents a day, or for 10
cents more than most Of the
miners receive, but they struck
and secured the advance. There
is apparently no disposition TO
strike among the miners, for
they know they would yet Moth
ing if they should do so.
Macungie, where so cents a
day is considered an equivalent
for a days work, is less than so
miles from Philadelphia and in
a country rich in iron ore. The
Macungie Iron Company has its
blast furnaces there. and in the
immediate neighborhood are the
mines of the Neutral Ore Com
pany and OF the Warwick, Crane
and Thomas Iron Company. At
| Aiburtis, a few miles away, the
Thomas Iron Company has two
furnaces, and others are dotted
| thickly along the lines of the
East Penn and Lehigh Valley
Railroads. Both hematite and
Bessamer ores are found, and the
iron made is among the best in
the world.
MUNIFICENTLY PROTECTED WAGES.
The miners who work for so
or 80 cents a day are those who
dig the hematite ore. In the
Bessemer mines, where the work
is underground and more like
that Of a coal mine. the men re-
ceive the more munificent sum
of s1.25 a day-still less than the
Italian street sweepers. The low
rare of wages may in part be ac
counted for by the depressed
condition of The iron trade. The
Macungie Iron Company's fur
mace went ont of blast on Wed
nesday, and will not start up
again until trade shall improve.
| what will the miners do
when they are thrown out Of
work by The closing OF The fur=
mace and cannot make their SO
or so cents a days' was asked Of
a resident OF MacuDgie.
80, they'll 60 to worl, at har-
vesting and haying," was the re
ply, ''and that will keep them
through the summer. If busi
ness should continue to be bad
and the mines still remain CLOSED
all winter there may be suffer
ing among them, but Tor The
present do not think there vii
; be. Ore miners are not like Goa
: miners. Digging hemalite ore i
like digging gravel, and is no
hard work. Some of the miner
who work for so cents a day ar,
; Pennsylvania Dutchmen, and arr
tenants on farmers lands, paving
the rent in part by helping then
, with their farm work. Then 9th
:. ers of the miners are Irish am
n German immigrants. the latte
7 having been attracted to tm
part. of the country by the fac
' that their Iamgugage is spokel
y here. These live in shantie
V erected by the ore contractor
II and do their own cooking
Eighty cents a day is not niue
IS for them, but IT covers their cos
e of living. Things are chea
: here"
# Low WAGES IN THE FURNACES.
,, The men in the blast furnace
" are only paid $l.40 10 Sl-5O IL
y" y hours labor. Hematile or
'e 3525 of which is iron, costs at I'll
furnace only $2-25 per ton, an
a miner, whose wa res OF so cen
-, per day are included IN th
ii price, digs about Il ton OF 1t
T. day. The furnace men have Il
!, Gently secured IA reduction fro
"a the railroads of 15%6 in freiei
=. rates, and yet they say they ca
~ ~ not make a living with pig ire
10 selling at SIT Or sis ton.
Id The majority of the iron o
miners do not take much inte
10 est in The tariff question. The
of have a keen realization OF Il
fact, however, that in the ir'
:. Industry. which they may Il
49, know is heavily protected. wag
are extremely low. Indeed. ih'
,d are lower than they have be-
,,a Tor some years. About 1881 th
"a were down to the present lev
-. but since that time they LA
=, held up pretty well until t
- present slump. Lehigh count
g in which 80 cents is a fair da.
-" .I,o d;c.,.;,t of On