Milford chronicle., 1906-07-20
liners UNION
a FALLING OFF
MILTON
~ ship in Anthracite District
rival No. / Decreases 1924

Scranton, Pa, July IA serious
decrease in the membership was re.
ported at the annual convention OF
district No. 1 of the United Mine
Workers which opened in Carbondale
with President John Mitchell in the
chair. The report of Secretary-Tr
urer Dempsey showed that the mem.
bership of the district on June 80 last
was 1880, a decrease of 10,244 as com.
pared with June 80 of last year There
are 16S locals in the district The
average membership during the year
1898 was 22.512, and il rose to 32,929
during The year. while just before The
suspension this year the membership
was 44627 During the year there
were three new locals organized, one
reorganized and four lapsed. The TO. /.
tai receipts were S39303.24, and eN-
pendituros $2G51007.
A caucus was held By number OF
delegates who are i'm favor of reduc
ing the expenses OF the district and
will submit a model to the convention
TO reduce the number of organizers
from TO 4. and TO reduce the salar
les Of the other officials They are
strenuous On their demand for econ.
omy, and it looks as if they Will have
a strong following in the convention.
President MitchA in response to
repeated demands addressed the con
vention and said in part:
"Since my last meeting with you the
organization has passed through its
II nd vrri1f
the men in the bituminous field, like
their workers in the anthracite region
did not secure all that.they asked for
yet great success attended their efforts
and the organization finds itself enjoy -
ing better conditions than ever before y
II is my earnest hope and my firm l4- /.
lief that the mine workers have seen
their worst days, and that from nos -
on they may look for better condition n
generally 7 must say now that the ,,
hope of the anthracite workers, in fact a
all workers, must depend in a large de- @,
gree upon their own efforts. Better p
wages. shorter hours and improved con- Ii.
dit0ns VIII not come 20 you on silver d,
plate; you will receive them only when cf
you struggle for them. c.
Il am not sure that / can continue CA
this work for many years, but I have SD
reached the conclusion that it does not
matter if one man drops out. but it is ia
Ot paramount Importance that the men br
be true to themselves. Your fathers eX
We're miners. you are miners and your III;
children will be miners. The great in
number win be workers and should ate
strive not as individuals. but as a class; raj
not for one man to raise himself up at sin
the expense Of others / am not deferred me
by those failures. but / have learned eH
by experience that. like my predeces- /
sors. may pass away without reaching by
the solution. What we hope to do is kin
to make life easier, to tighten the bur bit
dens that must be borne: that the men am
and children of the miners receive q IN
little more of the wealth they produce OF
but of greater importance that they Wh
develop Intellectually, that their home ho
life be more cheerful, and that they
be uplifted generally. 1t has always
been and will always be my ambition n
to see the mine workers OF America kin
improve their conditions, their children has
and to uplift them as he
class" can