The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-08-23

Thursday noon OF each week, II convenient,
as it saves time and trouble for both parties
We reserve the right to positively refuse
any notice Of whatever nature after 2 O. clock
p. m. on Thursday.
REPORT or INSPECTOR MOERSCH.
Inspector Moersch, of the state
labor bureau, has completed a re-
port on the inspection on the mines
in northern Minnesota made during
July. More attention is given to
the general condition of the mines
and the adjoining communities.
In all thirty-six were inspected and
these employ 1929 men. Some are
still producing pretty heavily; one
of them having made record of
1900 tons in "a hours.
The report states that 1905, 1913
tons of ore were shipped in 1900
from Lake Superior ports, of which
9, 465.355 was Minnesota output, an
increase of 1O67,46 tons over the
previous year.
Seven new ines started up this
season and six suspended opera
tons.
Of the 5000 men employed 40 per
cent are Firms, an equal percentage
are Austrians and Huns, and the
remainder belong to other natio-
nalities. Of all the Foreigners wor-
king in the mines, the Firms show
the greatest desire to become Amer
leans and take up with the ways of
the Americans. They are described
as good workmen and are thrifty.
The ambition of the Austrians and
Italians is to earn and save up
enough money to return to the old
country and live in ease. Conse-
quently they huddle together in
groups and are not at all particular
about their sanitary surroundings.
Cornishmen are the mainstay of the
mine owners and are largely EN-.
ployed as foremen, mine bosses
and similar positions.
Conditions in the range country
are adverse to permanent settle
ment in most localities, especially
the new ones, 30 the number OF
married miners is comparatively
small. The unpleasant surround,
ings create a restleseness lin the
men, which has evolved the tramp
miner, the greatest nuisance with
which the operators have to con
tend. The tramp miner, the habit
some men have acquired of assign
ing their pay in driblets to differen
people, and the practice of the Aus
TRANS of observing every holiday
on their Calendar without giving
notice to the operators of their in
tention of doing SO, have brough
about some stringent regulations
as to pay and holidays, which
would otherwise be unnecessary
Employees are required to give ter
days notice OF their intention te
quit and demand their pay between
pay-days. The Austrians have beer
informed that only legal holidays
will be observed and that they will
no longer be allowed to shut dowr
the mine without notice, wher
ever they feel like taking a
day off.
The Chandler mining company
has done what it could to make
some of the localities attractive
Near Ely, the company improved a
long strip of woodland running in
to Long lake. They have converted
this into park and equipped il
with bath houses and other conven
fences. The company maintains il
for their employees. At Soudan
residences are built and sold to EN-
ployes on the installment plan. He
calls attention to the fact that this
stateIis practically without laws
regulating the operation of mines
and that consequently every mine
operator does as he pleases. In
some places the cages run up the
same shaft with the ladder up and
down which the men go. When
cages for carrying the men in and
out of the mine are used, they are
often without safety catches. The
men themselves have a habit OF
tearing boards out of fences used to
guard dangerous places, and it is
desired that this be made a Grim
inal offense.
| TO FINISH SWAMP LAND SleLECTlONS
The apparently long interminable