The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-11
at stations where the engineer only
slows ~, Il, ,1o.-;,r

at stations where the engineer only
slows up in passing.
This action on the part of the last leg
islative assembly is indeed discourag-
ing, for instead of endeaVorlng to enact
much needed laws to better protect the
miner, a concerted effort was made to
repeal statutory law that could hardly
fail to reduce to a minimum certain
and frequently occurring class of acci-
dents and one of the two laws on the
statute books raade mandatory by rea-
son OF suitable penalty being provided
for its violation. Until we have more
enactments along this line the best eff
forts of this department will be of little
avail, for SO long as the only penalty
prescribed for non compliance with the
recommendations emanating from TINS
office is possible aid rendered claim
ant In an action for damages for death
or injury on the ground of criminal
carelessness on the part of the man
agement, so long will the inspectors
recommendations be complied with or
ignored just as far as they find favor or
meet the approval of the management.
The Years Accidents.
Forty-nine fatal accidents occurred
within the year. While this is an in
crease of one over 1898, small decrease
in percentage is shown, owing to the
ployed. While the death rate from the
accidents in this state) is not any great
er than that of several of the Western
mining states, a comparison in this re-
spect with those states and countries
that have strict laws and regulations
with severe penalties attached for their
violation, and which are equally bind
ing on the employer and employee, con-
vinces me that many Of the lives now
being virtually sacrificed would be saved
by the adoption of measures that have
proven so beneficial to the miners in
those countries where they are in force.
Authoritative statistics of metaliferous
mining, compiled for a number of year
in Great Britain, Belgium, Germany
and other countries, show the highest
death rate from accidents) for the years
covered by the reports to be 179 per
LOCO persons employed. Montana,
though showing reduction as compar-
ed with previous years, shows death
rate from mining accidents) of 1896
per 1000 employed. Segregating Silver
Bow county from the other counties of
the state, we find the proportion of kill
ed to the number of employed under
ground to be 4.79 per thousand. So
much do particular mines contribute to
the total of fatalities in this county that
the percentage of killed in a certain
mine for period of three years has
iFtidSeu IU.Oo per l,uUu 1IleH eIuployeu.
This is simply barbarous. Unques-
tionably the vast difference between
the percentage of fatalities in Mon
tana's mines and that of the countries
above mentioned, is due to their better
laws and regulations and to the author
ity invested in the mine inspection de-
partment for their enforcement. Thus
the great saving of life being due to the
superiority of their laws. the conclu-
sion is inevitable that those entrusted
with the law-making power of late
years in this state have evaded a great
responsibility and have been guilty of
a grave sin of omission at their failure
to enact a code of laws that would Sc
cure to the miner every reasonable pro-
lection from the many dangers that
beset his calling. While we cannot re-
frain from pointing out the dereliction
of the lawmakers in this regard on ac-
count of the loss of life and the long
list of permanent cripples made there
by, we should not, however forget that
a full share of the responsibility for
such rests with the large mining con-
Germs, for undoubtedly those great cor
porations have welded powerful in
fluence in shaping legislation, and have
bitterly fought every attempt made to
legislate upon matters wherein their