Mohave County miner., 1903-01-31
What the Legislators are Doing.

Bills of all classes and kinds are
pouring into the legislative bodies at
Phenix without number. Some of
these measures, of course, are excep.
tionally good while many are quite the
reverse. A frelghts and fares, eight
hour, railroad license tax, mine inspec.
tor, boiler inspector and saloon licen-
ses bills have already been introduced.
A railroad license is certainly the right
method of taxing the railroad lines of
this territory and the measure should
pass il in the right form. The eight
hour bill is a foolish measure at this
time, AS the hours of labor can be best
regulated by agreement between oper
ators and employees. If the hours of
labor are whitfield down, what is to
prevent the employer from curtailing
wages to conform to the new order Of
things. While eight hours is big
days work in some mines in others it
is not at all hard, and in these cases
it ought to be settled between the EN-
ployer and the employe. 1t is not the
long hours that should be so much OBJ.
jected to in this territory by the miner
as it is the low wage rate. A few ia,
natical men get together and without
giving the matter the least considera-
ton resolve that the hours of labor are
too long and submit their grievance to
some political party of the demagoeic
order and at once a bill is passed to
curtail the hours of labor of that par
ticular organization. Now, if these
fellows believe what they express by
their acts, why don't they pass bill
for the relief of the clerks in the stores
of the territory, who have to labor
from seven o'clock in the morning an.
til eight to ten o'clock at night, or the
railroad trainmen who are on the road
from fourteen to forty eight hours?
Why men that labor beneath the
ground should be signaled out among
the thousands of other workmen of the
territory is quite beyond us. We do
not believe there is a bakers dozen
miners in the territory who would not
work ten hours rather than have their
pay curtailed to an eight.hour rate. If
an eigbt.hour law is to become opera
tive for certain class, why not make
it general and cover all workers? We
are not averse to eight hours being
made legal day for the employ ment
of labor, but we do think that the time
is not yet ripe for its legislative enact.
ment in this territory. The workers
and the mployes can get together and
settle SO far as each individual mine is
concerned the hours of labor of the
employees in their particular branch of
work.
One Of the measures is a BARRIERS bill
regulating the practice of the tonsorial
art in the territory. This measure re-
quires that be shall have knowledge of
medicine so far rs diseases of the skin |
go and have other accomplishments |
before he can practice upon the human
cuficule.
The bullion tax bill has not yet ap.
peared, but the big copper mine mana
gers and the plethoric sack have ap.
peared lpon the scene and to aid in |
the dispensing of the good things a
measure will be introduced. A modi-
fed bullion tax bill ought to become a |
law, is admitted by everyone in the
territory. The big copper companies
are taking away millions of dollars an
nually TO enrich the Golfers of the cas-.
tern and foreign investors and no tax
Of any kind is paid on the big output.
These concerns should have to pay
their just proportion of tax in some
manner and tax on the net proceeds,
DR. on the gross output should certain
~ be levied. The poor fellows who
have property in the form of realty are
taxed to death, while the big fish are
immune. Let them get in and help
pay for the government that protects
them.
Valentine Dance