The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-03-13
E GOLD STRIKE.
Second Boer War Caused by Effort to
Reduce Waaes of IransyaaI Miners.

Although the Boer war ended May q,
1902, says the Wall Street Journal,
there has been no resumption of mining
In the Transvaal such as was carried
on previous to the outbreak Of hostil-
tiles in 1899. Before the wal the ran
vaal was one of the worlds main
sources of gold supply. The output in
1899 amounted to aboue $73, 000, 900. The
practical suspension of mining during
the conflict reduced the production to
So, 900, 600 in 1901. There were seven
months Of peace in 1902, but the total
gold product was only $35, 230, 1856. or less
than one-half the ~ante-bellum output.
The outlook for this year is much
brighter. The product in January was
50, 34G, 700, which was considerably
larger han in December, n which
Indicated a probable total for 1903 in
excess Of $50, 600, 900, which is more
likely to be increased than diminished.
One eason why there has been no
such activity in the Transvaal mines,
as existed before the Boer war, is
found in the extraordinary attempt Of
the companies identified with the
Chamber Of Mines to bring about a re-
luction in the rate of wages for native
labor. This attempt had not ever the
! excuse of necessity. The mining COM
panies-or many of them-earned large
dividends before The war on the old
scale of wages, and the only reason for
reducing the wages was that such a
reduction would increase the profits. 1t
was q cold FLOODED proposition, based
lpon the assumption that the native
laborers were unworthy of considera-
ton in the matter. It was argued that
these laborers, being lodged II fed by
he companies, had really no need Of
fifty shillings a month, which had been
their average wage, and ought to be
content with thirty shillings a month
This reduction, it is estimated, would
lave added about 81, 500, 600 to the yearly
profits of the companies. This attempt
10 reduce wages was not only unjust to
the miners, who were fairly entitled to
the old scale, but, as Mr.. Goodbody
pointed out in his market letter of Fri
day, was based on a wrong economic
assumption that to cheaper the cost
Of gold production would be a gain tC
the wealth of the world. The effect
would be to cheaper gold and render ii
more unstable as the basis Of the
worlds credit.
Fortunately, the attempt Of the III
Transvaal companies that entered into
the agreement to educe wages ha;
failed. Never has there beer a more
extraordinary contest between capita
and labor. Our own strike in the Goa
regions must take second place beside
tlllS g III llt 1IdIISVddl. IL wal
in reality a eco Boer war, differing
from the other in hat this was blood.
less and h a the victory was gained by
the Beers. There was no strike and ne
boycott. The native labor preferred
to live off the proceeds of their little
patches of farm land to working in thu
mines at thirty shillings a month. NJ
mount of persuasion could induce then
to enter the mines. Finally the Cham
Der of Mines has returned to the ole
scale of wages, and from now on Their
should be a steady increase in the golt
output, a fact Of the largest signifcanc,
| to the markets of the world.