Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1892-01-27
TIE WAGES pRosLEM.
A Hawthorne Miner Presents
Some Sensible Suggestions

The figures giveL ars certainly con
vincing, but let us see if way out of
this difficulty can not lie found |
would suggest thai instead of reducing
wages from, $3.50 to So per aay, that
The miners give To the companies what
they ara paid for, VIZ: 10 hours work,
Let us Illustrate, TIE shift /. SUP
posed to GO on ut ! o'clock. A.
O'Clock most of the men will he found
at The shsft ready to be lowered 10 The
various levels where theg work.
There viii be some slragslers; 1t Is
probably 10 minutes past Z before the
cage is lnwered. and il takes the men
from 20 minutes 10 half sn hour to
get 10 Their various points, get tools
and everything ready 10 WORK. Here
is half IA heur gone. As l2 O'Clock
approaches, if n mas has a round of
holes 10 fire, ha win generally have
them ready 10 to 20 mlnntes before 10
aud Sci tRem of and get to shaft 10
minutes more. Alter lunch 90 10 30
minutes mare are required 10 get 10
The face, and al The emu OF tue shift the
sane amount OF time is lost.
Now, count it all up and you will
find that it amounts to from an hour
and half Ia tws hours lost ON each
shift. Now if all this lest time had
been put IN in gsel solid work in the
face, there would be that much more
ground broken and that Is What the
companies pay for and what they must
have Ia order To run at all
Al present, with the amount Of l.st
tina, the amount of work actually
done viii not average TO exceed eight
to eight ard quarter hours per shift,
while if all the men wouid be on hand
promptly al 20 minutes 10 Z they could
be lowered, get 10 their face, get tools
ready, and be hard al ii by o'clock,
Then put in good solid work until 12
full; then lunch then be bsck IN face
by O'clock sharp aud at work to put
in good solid work until full 6 o'clock.
And If this plan was adopted, the re-
suits of the companies work al the end
Of The month would be far different
from what they are now.
We who have worked and are now
working ia mines know full well the
amount Of tins often consumed up-
necessarily. We have misplaced some
tools, forgotten our powder, caps or
fuse, run short of candles, all OF which
require shsrt trips to procure. This
means time used up, and nothing &C
complished, ami We also know that
when working for ourselves on leases
or prospects, or IN our own mines, we
hit the drill little harder and look
out more carefully for all these little
things that take up aud cause loss of
ST. ,nuCh time
Now, if we give the companies what
We are paid for, 1.-THE full. 10 hours
work." that much more ore is broken,
aud that Ruch more waste is broken
and handled cut of the mine, and the
companies can accomplish as much
work with 50 men working this way,
and getting $3.50 per day, as they
could with 100 mea working under the
present system at So. We must come
down to hard facts; So 80 wages
are getting scarce il the United
States and with low grade mines
aud a low price for silver, the work
must be done cheaper, or else more
work done for the same money, or it
will be impossible under the showing
made for tho companies to run.
The outlook for rise in silver is
not flattering. THIS talk of an Inter
national Convention will put the mat
ter of two years, if it carries, and
while we may have little squirt in
silver, we may act have 4 high range
Of prices until the matter is definitely
settled. Two years delay means hard
times in Esmeralda county, ne invest
ment Of outside capital, and general
stagnation. Ii stands to reason that
the companies prefer to run than to
let their properties lie idle aud it
occurs to me that they would be ready
TO meet the miners halt way.
Now, you miners, in Candcarla who
are NEST interested, say to the cemps-
nies, Give us $3.50 per day and we
will give you ten hours solid work,
and we will do all we can to econe-
mze time and push the work, and |
will venture the opinion that you will
find the companies ready to meet you
and give the method thorough trial.