The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-14


in the SLOGAN district of British Column
bia. He stated emphatically that he
had no connection whatever, either di-
rectly or remote, with the labor troubles
of the district. He has nothing to do
with the running of the Payne mine;
has never made a suggestion concern
ing the way it should be run; has never
discussed the labor situation there with
any one; was never interviewed on the
subject and never gave out an opin-
ion one way or the other.
Managed By Canadians.
81 am director in the Payne, it is
true" Mr.. McCune went on. Mr.. Hoge
and myself are the only American di-
rectors out of nine The other seven
are Canadians; we own only a small
amount of the stock, and we leave the
running of the mine and everything
connected with it entirely to the seven
men on that side of. the line, as we
have business enough to look after on
this side'
Mr. McCune says his supposed con-
nection with the labor troubles grew
out of the following item that appeared
in the Spokane Review, Nov. 2:
"A. W. McCune and his brother, E. j.
McCune, arrived from Salt Lake last
evening en- route to the Payne mine at
Sandon. They are heavily interested in
the property. He is going north to meet
Clarence ]. McCuaig, promoter of the
Payne company, to consult with him
concerning a proposed law suit TO test
the validity of the eight-hour labor law.
Mr.. McCuaig was in Grand Forks
few days since, and said to the CORE
spondent of the Spokesman Review:
An eminent legal authority has adj
vised the management of the Payne
mine that the eight-hour law is uncon-
stitutional. In all likelihood test case
will be made in order to determine the
authority of the provincial parliament
TO draft the legislation that has caused
so much trouble between labor and cap
ital. The measure was not sought by
the miners. We contemplate starting
up work in the Payne, paying $3.50 for
ten hours work. If we are fined the
case will be appealed and. if need be,
appealed to the privy council.
Statements Were Untrue.
Commenting on this, Mr.. McCune
said: Il never met McCuaig on this
trip, did not go within $50 miles of him,
did not communicate with him, and did
not intend to. But this item in the
Spokane paper is taken as the basis of
the attack made upon me by the Mel
son Tribune and quoted with such
Lake. No representative of the Nelson
paper came near me while 1 was there
although the editor has never ceased to
denounce me as an American capitalist.
there for the purpose of carrying off
their wealth to build a palace in Salt
Lake. The editor is an agitator who
Injuries the cause of labor much more
than he aids it. / ha1s employed large
bodies of men for many years, as high
fr-, ~ %,x. a
never had trouble with any of my men,"
Cause of the Trouble.
The difficulty in British Columbia.
Mr.. McCune says, is that the provincial
assembly has enacted an eight-hour
law whereby miners are prevented from
working over eight hours a day. The
mine owners were paying $3.50 per day
for ten hours work; if the hours were
reduced they proposed TO reduce the
wages correspondingly This was OBJ
jected to and hence the strife. Mr.. Nc
Cune thought the constitutionality of
the law would be tested. In fact, many
of the miners We're petitioning for its
repeal on the grounds that the better
pay for ten hours was greater objec.
to them than the two hours extra idle
time.
Mr.. McCune said in closing: 81 have
agement of the Payne mine since the 1
first of last January. when the present
company was formed. The mine has
been closed down since the first of June.
There are only two men working there
now, digging a trench. There has never
been an Italian employed in the camp.
went there this time on the invitation
of President Henshaw to look over the
with him, but with no inten-
ton whatever to take a hand in the
settlement of the labor troubles, as I
know nothing of the Canadian law"
Development of the Watseka.
The work on the Watseka NINE in
Montana, Mr.. McCune says, is going
forward satisfactorily. They have in
place now a S30-horse power engine, a
big pump. and are certain of develop
ing large bodies of good ore when they
get the water under control, which is
now certainty. At Deer Lodge they
have already expended 100000 in the
development of the mine, and expect to
expend 100000 before spring, when they
will be ready for business.