The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-24
HARD TIMES HIT BELT
Many Families Apply to the
County.
ANOTHER STRIKE ORDERED
Miners Were Told to Quit Work at Mil
lard's Coal Mine-They Refused
to Obey the Unions
Order.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Belt. April 25-The camp is growing
very quiet and the days are becoming
long and tedious. For the past two weeks
many of the inha bitants have been suf-
fering with insomnia. The malady is
spreading with alarming rapidty and It
became necessary that some heroic meas
ure be adopted to break the awful mo-
notony of the employees existence. When
hours grew into days and days into
weeks; when life becomes irksome and
the people have naught to do but watch
old Boreas trail his slow and at the pres
ent time chilly, way across the heavens
When the women don their cast-away
garments, old shoes, and with copious
burdens of tears call upon Judge Foley
Tor aid from the county. When the men
folks sit on the back stoop and try to
white some solution o. the present labor
troubles out of an old diamond willow
cane or spend their time in studying a
map of the footways leading from Bet
out into the world, there is nothing that
Will relieve the tension of it all like a lit
tie excitement.
In all the wide world nothing could
residents of a coal camp as strike
When one is inaugurated and begins 20
drag Its weary length through weeks of
waiting, the only possible relief for the
people is to order another one.
Strike No 2 has been ordered here
Strike is not just the proper word to use
either It's a sort of laboring mans in
junction. Judging from present indica-
tons, it seems quite probable that 10 or
ID men will he h9n1ad pefnra Ia
judges for contempt.
On Wednesday a committee from the
Miners union induced the men working
in H. w. Millards mine. on the east side,
to leave Their work and go to their homes
They were requested to not return until
satisfactory agreement had been made
with Mr.. Willard. The union claims that
Mr.. Millard is not paying the union price
to his men and that he must change his
rate or close down his mine. Mr.. Willard
pays Soc per car for the coal, mine run
or rough and tumble The Lewis mine,
being operated by Fred L. Hill, pays Csc
per car, the cars used in both mines be-
ing of the same capacity. About four
years ago schedule was agreed upon be-
tween the owners of these mines and the
Miners union, which named IS cents as
the price per car to be paid.
At that time Mr.. Willard was separat-
ing his stock or INNINGS from the lump,
paying 95 cents per car for the lump
and 40 cents per ton for the stock.
About-stwo years ago this was discon-
tinued the coal was brought out rough
and tumble and So cents was agreed upon
between Mr.. Millard and the men work.
ing for him as the price to be paid.
The Miners union now asks Mr.. Millard
to pay 95 cents per car, Mr.. Willard de-
clines to do this, claiming the So cent
rate mine run, is as good if not a better
rate of pay than was the 81 cent rate
when the coal was separated. The men N
Mr.. Mllard's employ are all perfectly
well satisfied to continue work at the So
cent rate They claim they can do equally
as we'll, and often better, working in the
Willard mine at s. cents than they can
in the Lewis mine at 95 cents. The Min
ers union insists however that by doing
so they are reducing the price of labor
and that they must strike for the high 2r
rate. All but two or three of the men
went to work this morning and the usual
amount of coal was brought out. The mine
employs about 20 men and it is surely to
be hoped some settlement may be reach
ed. The men nearly all have families, who
need the money badly.