The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-03-10

WHEREAS, There appeared in .sTbe
Black Diamond" weekly paper pub.
llshed at Chicago, ILL.,, of the issue of
February 18th, 1910, among other things,
the following:
within the last six months many
u ,pti nave scattered hand bills, posted
hotlces at tipples and advertised in local
papers Tor mine laborers, but these eff
forts only result in drawing men tenn
porarily from neighboring mines and de-
hiorailZc without increasing the state IS
supply. After careful observation. I am
lhenhea to believe that this action on the
part or operators is causing a labor loss
or hfteen hundred men every day throueh
the encouragement of rowing and moving
from mine to mine. If the aspirations
OF West Virginia to become the second
coal producing state in the Union are tn
DC reahzed we must secure at least ff
teen thousand new mine employees within
the next twelve months. This means tho
Importation of three times that number
70 provide margin for desertions
changes to other employments and the
discharge of those who are unable to
ADAPT themselves to underground work. -
That the foregoing was reported nv tho
Secretary of the West Virginia Minino
Association at their convention at Hum
ehhSton, w. Va, some weeks ago, and is
a part of the proceedings of said couyen
ton; and
LAS, we recognize that on ac-
count OF the scarcity of coal miners in
this state, the development of the coal
INDUSTRY is beng very much retarded
ana we the representatives of District
NO. IL, United Mine Workers of America
III annual convention assembled in the
CITY OF Charleston, West Virginia, do
hereby say to the coal operators of this
state in answer to said publication in
SAID The Black Diamond paper, as well
as the statement made on the floor of said
convention and reported by its secretary
that the cause of the coal miners LEAVING
this state is the result of conditions un.
satisfactory to them as employees and
NINE workers, and they have, therefore
gone to other fields in other states where
conditions are more inviting to them and
where organized labor is recognized and
gwen encouragement and it's individual
members are given protection; and
WHEREAS, We, the accredited renre
sentatires of District No. IL. ITnita1
Mine Workers of America in annual con-
Fentlon assembled, do hereby proclaim to
all those interested in the coal industry
IN tins state, that if the cruel, inhumane
ieatur OF the 'gnard system,'' the intim.
1datlon OF the miners and mine workers
and the humiliation they are Obliged to
endure, is supplanted is more humane
~ controlled If not entirely done away
with, and 1t is heavy burden and need
less expense to the operators: then the
anu h'lhe WORKERS. IN other fields
IN other states, who have heretofore left
TINS their native state, will return to
their old home, resume labor. thereby in
ereaslng the numerical strength of the
mine workers, supplying the demand of
the operators for additional labor, and
cont1 butte to the making of West vir-
g1nla coal industry all it is desired nv her
business men,
The Mining Department of this state.
IS we believe, doing the best it can, but
the sanitary condition of some of the
MINES IN the different sections of the
state, IS so much worse than the mines in
other states. that in hundreds of instances
our coal miners are afraid to enter tbe
mines A great many of our mines are
Kept IN first class condition, and as a
rule these mines have n sufficient supply
! or men, In othr mines not ventilated as