The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-20
CLOSING DOWN OF MINES.
CAUSED PRIMARILY BY OPERATION
OF THE EIGHT-HOUR LAW.
koOtenay Mine Owners Take Az
vantage of Circumstances to stop
work, Get Rid of Distastefni Eie-
ment. and Score Against Hours

Special Dispatch to the Post-lntelhgehcer
ROSsIAND. B. c., Feb. 19.-The dispute
arising from the compulsory eightEhoul
Law in the kootenays is no sooner settieu
M one section than it breaks out IN an
other. The miners in the SLOGAN nave
finally accepted what the mine owners
have all along been willing to giVe-sStSo
a day for miners in drifts and runners
and Sc for muckers and carmen. But lhe
trouble has now reached the Han mines
and smelter at Nelson, and the three larg
est shipping mines at Rossiano-'he 10
Roi. War Eagle and Center star.
The owners of the Hall mines nave
openly stated that the eight-hour law IS
the cause Of the shutdown Inc miners
have stated that 1t Is due TO the con-
domination OF the management at lhe
stockholders meeting in London last De
cember. The mines have not oeeh earn
ing dividends but they have not ohiy
paid running expenses and a large proper
ton of the outstanding debt, but nave
paid for the development OF large reserves
of ore a motion OF censure on ths man,
agement was made, but was Noteu "'"h
By a decided majority.
In Rossland the situation Is peculiar.
The mine owners are in fulI hhrih9,tns
with those OF the SLOGAN ana Nelson us rs,
tricts in their struggle against PAYING ssi,
hours wages for eight hours workf out
have gone about the matter IN a ulterei y.
way. The Miners union Is very s,ro I1,, ~,
numbers and is headed by OLD Occur
d'Alene leaders, who came here IN ,ne
early days of the camp. Ihere was a,so
a large mixture of the Occur Aiene eIe-
ment among the mass or the hihe,s
When the eight-hour law was passed, the
miners demanded the old rate OF wages.
s. 50 a day. and got IL. But last ran so o.l
OF the companies started doing develop
rnent work by contract with some OF their
best miners. The union condemned thls
movement and compelled the c0htIac. uoi,1
to cancel their contracts. 1hey sun
claimed that man could do as much
work in eight as in ten hours, ana en-
forced the continuance or the S-ev rate.
The mine managers realizing that they
could accomplish nothing with these men,
set to work TO quietly get rid OF me
Occur d'Alene element Inc war Ea ga
and Center Star. which are operated
Jointly have been waiting for months LOT
steam hoists, one OF which Is needed az
the War Eagle TO replace tne aelec.ln CIV,
electric hoist and the oth/r for the new
Center Star shaft. They have also been
waiting for a new forty.driil compressor
to supply air to both mines: Meanwhits
they have been running with makesnitt
machinery In the vain effort TO i've up 10
n contract TO supply 300 tons OF ore Gay
TO the Trail smelter In order 70 90 TINS
ore bodies while stopping the ore already
blocked out. This was recognized as bad
policy, and 4 was stopped by the smut,
down But the opportunity was taken OF
wedding out the Occur a Alene element
among the mines. Fully 400 OF the 200 en-
ployes of the two mines had to be dis
element could most easily be spared.
The lie Roi was not in as much need
OF a suspension OF shipments TO push de-
velopment and install machinery as the
War Eagle and Center Star, but IL Will
certainly he the better on for II. The
mine Is being opened up from an entirely
new point by means on the slack Bear
tunnel, which connects with the lie Roi
at the $50 foot level. At the face OF this
tunnel five-compartment shaft is being
sunk 10 the lower lie Roi levels, and Is
being extended to the surface by an up
trio hoist. capable Of raising LOCO tons
day, Is being installed. besides a forty
drill compressor to run the drills. When
this machinery Is installed. the lie Roi
mine will be operated entirely through
the Black Bear tunnel.
These improvements will bring about
such great economy in operation and
such a great increase In production that
the MANAGEMENT naturally wishes TO push
them to completion, and can do so the
quicker by applying all the air from the
compressor to the necessary sinking and
cessation OF stopping and shipment Hence
200 men We're laid of here and again,
as in the case of the other mines, the
men who could best he spared were care
fully selected The mine managers are
keeping their own counsel, but their ac-
lions, past and present. indicate that they
will not relax their efforts to secure a
repeal Of the compulsory feature OF the
eight hour law, and AT the same time Will
get as much work as possible done bN
contract Meanwhile these discharged
miners have either gone to the United
states where they viii accept the same
wages for ten hours work as they have
received here for eight hours. or 10 the
SLOGAN country. where they VIII get - y
for eight hours, instead Of $3.50 as here.