The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-12
WILL Use STRIKERS
Ignite Operators Willing to En-
ploy Pennsylvania Miners.
HARVEST MoNoPoLIZEs LABOR
Development Shown by the Demand
e for Men West of the Red
D. River. "%

Ignite operators in North Dakota
want help and. are willing to employ
striking miners from the disturbed an
thracite region. The congeniality OF
harvest work, coupled with the good
wages and liberal inducements in trans
portation offered by the railroad compan-~
les, is attracting most of the men to the
fields and away from mines, railroads
and other Industries.
So serious has become the situation in
the Ignite coal fields Of, North Dakota,
that the manager Of one Of the mines
has appealed to an employment agency in
this city and asked that men be sent there
at once. He informs the agent, that
while. it has always been the custom of
the company to employ only American la
bor, the need is so great that he will hire
Italian or Russian miners if they can be
secured. He also suggests the idea OF
importing a number of striking miners
from the Pennsylvania coal region.
The railroad companies are also COM
planning of not. being able to get men
enough for extra gangs to carry out the
improvements planned. Every inducement
has been made to get men. to go to these
extra gangs, but many who have been so
employed are now leaving and going to
the harvest fields. The Milwaukee road
alone is said to need ,1,500 men to carry
out it's projected work. ~
the brick yards of North Dakota. The
large amount of building being done in
that state this fall demands an increased
output of brick. Managers of the brick
companies find that they are unable. to
secure men enough to increase their prod
uct. One of them, writing to an employ
ment agent in the city, asks If there is
any inducement that can be made to get
men to go to North Dakota.
Big Parties of Harvesters:
Harvesting hands in large numbers are
passing through Minneapolis on their way
to North Dakota this week. The Great
Northern took out 225 last night, the
Northern Pacific took about $50, while the
500 line carried 100. These men were all
ticketed for North Dakota, most of them
going into the Devils Lake country and
west Of the Red River valley The agents
Of the various companies expect that
fully as many will go tonight.
These figures cover only those men who
travel. on passenger trains by ticket and
do not represent the large number who
travel on the freight trains. An employ
ment agent said to-day that more men are
going to the northwest this fall on freight
trains than are going with tickets in the
regular way. From this it would seen
| that nearly 1000 men are going to the
harvest fields each day.
One would think, said a representa-
! tive employment agent to-day, "that this
large influx of harvesting hands into thu
| northwest would overrun the country, bu
| it will not. This large movement will las
| but a few days and then the number vii
| materially decrease. The 500 line alone
| has orders for 1,500 farm hands and tn.
Great Northern and Northern Pacific will
| need fully as many more. There will be
no more men in the Dakotas this fall thar
are needed to harvest the crop.
| Going Farther~West.s
/ CONTRARY to what has been the run
| in former years, the men are wanted il
the territory west of the Red River valley
there being fewer orders for that section
| The men are needed along the brancl
/ lines that traverse eastern North Dakota
A large crop has been raised there ant
the farmers are paying from 81 to So PEI
| day for men to harvest it.. The work will
last until cold weather sets in, for as sool
as the wheat is stacked, threshing will
commence and will give employment t,
| the men until the snow flies"