The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-14
MORE MINERS UNIONS
Federation Proposes to Extend Its
Organization.
PRESIDENT BOYCE'S PLAN
EXPLAINS WHY UNIONS ARE
WEAK IN UTAH.
Many Men Combine Farming With
Mining and Care Little for Unions
Utah, Colorado and New Mex
leo In the Same District-Work
of Organization.

President Boyce of the Western Fed
Grafton of Miners of America said yes
| terday that there would be no partlcu-
lar effort to form local unions through
out Utah, Notwithstanding the fact thal
the Federation is extremely weak III
| this state.
Strong efforts will. according to him.
/ be made to organize more unions IN All
Pacific coast and Rocky Mountain
states during the next year, Dul hu
especial efforts will be made in any one
of them. There Will be general WORK
of organization in mining camps where
unions do not exist, so that it is be-
lieved a larger increase Will be SHOWN
for the succeeding year than for the
past.
1--WE have arranged PLAN" said Mr..
Boyce yesterday afternoon, Ito organ
ize which we think will be more satls-
factory than that we have been work
ing under The western states have
been diStricted, and two or three OF
them will be represented in each dls-
trict. OF the five members of the eN-
ecutive board one will represent eacn
district, and he will have supervision
of the work of organization in the
states within his jurisdiction Titan mas
been placed along with Colorado ana
New Mexico. and the member of the
board representing these three states
will have charge of organization IN
them.
Another amendment to the constitu-
ton is a provision that local organ
iZerS may be placed in the field anu
kept there, and their expenses PAID, SO
that they may continue their work. AS
a result, there will be more effort at
organization in Utah and in all other
states covered by the Federation.
u me
must be adopted by local unions COM
prising the Federation before they be
come effective, for we work under the
referendum system.
Conditions In Utah.
There are several explanations
which show in some degree why the
Federation is not strong in Utah. This
state was settled years ago by people
who took to farming more than TO
mining, and when mining was opened
up later on the farmers worked at IL 10
some extent Even now that is the sys-
TEN to a large degree The farm hands
and farmers boys work as miners our
ing those months when there is nothing
else for them to do. AS consequence,
there is not a large class of trained
miners. men who never expect to do
anything else. Such miners care less
for unions than do men who depend on
the industry altogether for livelihood
We have very few delegates from
unions in Utah. / believe only Park
City and Mercur are represented.
The convention of miners was called
to order at S:45 yesterday morning, and
under the order of standing commit
tees. the committee on ritual reported.
After a long discussion concerning the
provisions of the report, it was referred
back for further action.
When the committee on education
and literature made its report concern
ing a magazine to be the common or
gan of both the Federation and the
Western Labor Union. there was much
talk of the project. Some of the dele
gates favored the magazine; others did
not want the union to be connected
with it, while others thought that the
present system of adopting paper as
the organ should be continued. The
report was referred back for further
action of the committee.
The convention may be able to ad-
journ on, Monday. 1t is likely that the
election of officers will occur then.
There is no opposition to the reelection
of President Boyce. In fact, the dele
gates insist upon him, Notwithstanding
his declaration that he does not want
the place. There are no names men
toned for other places.
The delegates to both conventions
visited the Salt Lake brewery last
evening. and there listened to a speech
by Warren Foster, editor of the salt
Lake Living Issues.