Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1904-10-15


miners wages will come more from
what is called instinct, for lack OF
better phrase, than from lntelllgent
lines of reasoning.
A number of professions from time
immemorial have been set aside as peing
different from those of others. All
these businesses that have been so set
aside have one point in common, name
ly, the dangerous character OF the oc-
cupation. Down deep in the human
human heart there is feeling that that
those men who takes their lives IN their
hands should be governed by somewhat
different rules than those whose daily
occupation is of such nature that there
is a reasonable certainty that they Will
die a natural death. Such occupations
are those of soldiers, sailors and miners.
1t does not matter what rank a man
may hold in his profession, he will have
feelings developed which are peculiar to
his profession. To strike at the lowest
member of this profession is to strike
at the highest, especially if the blow
comes from man outside the business.
For this reason, if for no other, mine
managers resent unnecessary reduction
of wages of the common miner. Many
of our readers will understand us when
we say that the mine manager feels his
duty is to stand between the mine own
err and the common working miner and
to see that each does justice to the
other.
There is, however, another reason
why the mine superintendent will oppose
reduction ofswages. Itiisa truism often
expressed that the common miner of
today may be the mine owner of tomor-
row. The miner is enabled to change
his position in the social scale by discov-
cry of new mines or by exercising min
ing skill by taking abandoned property
and on the leasing system, converting a
productive property into bonanza.
He cannot do this without a certain
amount of money; this money he finds
by saving from his daily wages while
working as a miner for others. The
wages of the miner in the west, there
fore, does not go entirely in living ex-
penses; a not inconsiderable portion goes
for development of the mineral resour-
ces of the country. Without this in
vestment mining would be in a sorry
plight. The life of mine may be taken
on an average of about ten years, and
as old bonanzas and productive mines
play out new ones have to be opened up
to take their places. This is not done
by the capitalist, rarely by the manager
or superintendent, but almost invariably
by professional prospectors, who earn
the money for carrying on the difficult
work by engaging themselves as COM
mon miners between prospecting sea-
sons.
To reduce miners wages to the mere
living point would be to strike an ire
parable blow to the Industry. Most OF
the mine managers feel this instructive
!; ly and, hence, vigorously oppose reduc-
ton of wages. Hence, we can say that
in conformity with natural laws, the
greatest bar to reduction of wages is
not the union, but he who is to Otter
thought to be the enemy of the working
miners. We can call to mind many in
stances of this. One which will Occur
to many of our readers was in Leadvill,
about 1896 to 1897 Mining in the Lead
vile district at that time was at a low
l ebb. The mines were not being worked
at profit and, reluctantly the wages
were cut about so cents day. A Ions
and bitter strike followed which, how
ever, was won by the mine owners, an,
the wages of the district stood at So. s.
2 per day for some time. Finally, with
out any strike on the part of the men
and in many cases not even a reques
on their part, wages were raised by tn
mine manager until for the last thre
or four years wages of the district wer
raised to their old standard of So day
at which rate wages now stand withou
S any probability of reduction.
v Again, only recently, Mr.. w. A. Balm
e bridge, manager of the Ell Paso mine a
s Cripple Creek, stated in an interview
= that any orders received to reduce tn
wages of the men would mean his ir
e slant resignation. He but expresse
: the opinion of most of the mine mar
:, ayers in Cripple Creek and elsewhere
s We may say emphatically that in vie,
f of the conditions under which the mir
ing industry is conducted that it's pros