The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-25
GOLDFIELD WAGES.
Rampant Individualis1n Carried to EX
treme Length in Mining Camp.

treme Length in Mining Camp.
Industrial conditions in the mining
regions of the west are likely TO suffer
from the action of the operators at
Goldfeld and TonoPah, particularly the
former, At the present time miners
get 50 per shift at Goldheld and S4
at Touopah. says the Mining and Sci
eniitic Press Of San Francisco. When
working in shafts, wages are 80 cents
more. so that $3.50 is paid TO men en-
gagged in sinking Workmen on surface
get $50 at Gold6eId and 81 at Touo-
pah. AS the two towns are about thlr-
ty miles apart. the result Is to draw
miners TO Goldfeld from Tonopah, and
TO Nevada in general from the other
mining States. Every man is entitled
10 the wages he can get and an opera
tor is entitled to make his own terms
with his men, But there arc limits to
this freedom of contract, for behind
the individual is the community that
gives him legal protection and the op-
portunity to perform his work To
that community the individual is al
WAYS heholden. In the case cited, we
believe that the anxiety to extract
rich ore at any cost in order TO sup
port weak stock-market, Is likely to
subvert industrial conditions and to
inJure the community as whole
or course. we arc aware that there
is an alleged humorous side to this
subject, for it is said that the miners
drop most of their high wages in the
gambling establishments controlled by
several OF the mlne.owncrs, but as a
matter of fact only one or two of the
operators have such facilities, and the
chief reason for the eXorbitant rate is
the haste 10 extract orc Of unusual
richness. Everything is subordinated
10 this. The lessee wants TO extract
the maximum amount of ore during the
term of his lease, the lessor has his
eye on top heavy stock market and is
anxious to sec things booming What
does 1t matter il he pays extraordi.
nary wages and creates labor unrest; ;
what does IL matter if miners steal the
rich ore, and the morality of the COM
munltv is debauched thereby; the main
thing Ia 10 get out the orc and make
big shipments. The mines Will be gut
ted, the ore will enrich undesirable
citizens. mining as an industry will be
dlscredited, but the Individual thrives.
1T is individualism in a destructive
form, and to that extent il typifies
the tendencies of modern life, where
the civic spirit is dead and predatory
selflsbuesS is rampant
1t Is the same story in San Fran.
cisco. The metal workers have struck
because they have failed to force the
lronwor ks 10 pay them wages and 10
allow them hours that arc impossible
II the employers are TO make any proft
In their business. The latter have Of.
fered to grant even the terms demand.
ed whenever 30 per cent OF the other
lronworks IN the east make similar con-
cessious. it being claimed-iustly. we
think-that 10 grant higher wages and
shorter hours than their competitors ia
other cities, would simply make 1t i'm.
possible to operate at a profit. The
men have struck, work has ceased. and
the reconstruction of the ruined city
rs held in allegiance. There is no
thought Of the welfare of the commu.
nlty, there is no sympathy for the men
who are doing their. best TO rehabili.
tate the city, there Is nothing but UT
enlightened sel6sbuess, born in greed
and fostered by ignorance. Of the car
men S strike and the jncipieut anarchy
arising from it, we shall speak later
ON. We arc inclined 10 question. as
Truthful James did on certain his.
toric occasion.
Is our civilization failure?
Or is the Caucasian played out7"