The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-08-16

and we kept a girl in the kitchen 70
$3.50 week which cost me S15 TO
10 weeks, besides the additional liy
ing expenses.
In 1897 just year afterward, hat
a severe trial. And mind, i'm thos,
years we were only working about hal
time. But in the fall of that year on,
of my brothers struck a gas feeder
There was a terrible explosion II,
was hurled downward in the breas
and covered with the rush of coal anC
rock. | was working only thre,
breasts away from him and for mo
ment was unable to realize what hat
occurred. Myself and a hundred 9th
ers were soon at work, however, and
in a short while we found him. horri
bly, burned over his whole body, his
laborer dead alongside of him.
He was my brother He was single
and had been boarding He had no
home of his own. | didn't want him
taken to the hospital, so directed the
driver of the ambulance to take him
to my house. Besides being burned,
his right arm and left leg were broken
and he was hurt internally. The doc.
tors there were two at the house
when we got there-said he would die.
But he didn't He is living and a
miner today. But he lay in bed Just
IA weeks, and was unable 10 work for
seven weeks after he got out of bed
He had no money when he was hurt
except the amount represented by his
pay.
IL is nonsense to say | was not com
PEELED to keep him, that could have
sent him to the hospital or the aims
house. We are American citizens
and we don't go to hospitals and poor.
houses.
Let us look at these things as they
are today, or as they were before this
strike commenced.
My last pay envelope shows wages.
after my labor, power oil and other
expenses were taken of, were $29.47.
that was my earnings for two weeks.
and that extra good. The laborer for
the same time got $2l. His wages are
a triile over $40 a week for six full
days. Before the strike of 1900 he
was paid in this region $40 per day.
or 5000 per week. II the 10 per cent
raise had been given, as we expected.
, his wage would be $1.S7 per day. or
$ll.2O per week, or an increase of |
$l02 per week. But we all know that
under the present system he doesn't
get any $li.
Well, as | said. my wage was S29, Al |
for the two weeks. or at the rate Of |
S5S.94 per month. My rent is $l0.5O
per month. My coal costs me almost
81 per month, We burn little over 1
ton a month on an average and II |
costs us over 50 a ton. Light does not
cost so much; we use coal oil altogeth.
er
When IL comes down TO groceries Is
where you get hit the hardest Every.
body knows the cost OF living has been
extremely high all winter. Butter has
been 32, SO and 3S cents a pound; eggs
rs high as 32 cents a dozen; ham ~
and 10 cents pound; potatoes away
lp 10 81, and cabbage not less than a
'ent a pound. Fresh meat need notl
De counted Flour and sugar did not
advance, but they were about the only
staples that didn't Anyhow, my store
)ill for those two weeks was Sl1. That
makes s22 a month. The butcher gets
70 per month. Add them all and II
'osts me just 10 live, $3.50. That
caves Sl7 per month 10 keep my fam.
ly In clothes 10 pay my church dues
md TO keep the industrial insurance
going. My insurance alone costs me
IS cents a week, or 1920 a month.
The coal president never allows his
stable boss TO cut the amount OF fod.
Ter allotted TO his mules. lie insists
IN so many quarts OF oats aud corn
o the mule and so much hay In the
'yeiiing. The mule must be fed: the
miner may be. II he works hardj
'nough % buy the grub. |
Now, you must take into cOnsldera.
ION that ! am a contract miner and
hat my earnings are more than the
wages Of three-fourths Of the other Eel.
ows al the same cOlliery. II is not
hat ] am fayorite with the boss. n
ust struck a good breast. Maybe nextl
month my wages would be from 81 10
iG or 81 less.
We miners do not participate In the
high prices OF coal. The operators
ny TO prove otherwise by juggllngl
with figures. but their proving has
struck a fault, and the drill shows no
.oal In that section. One.half Of the
price paid for a ton Of coal In New
York or Philadelphia goes into the
profit pocket Of the mine owner either
Is a carrier or a miner
We all know that the price Of coal
las advanced In the past 20 years.
We also knOw that wages are less
hat the cost OF living Is higher re-
member the time when / was a lad.