The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-11-06
WRITES ABOUT
COPPER STRIKE
Correspondent vandcrcook Gives
Ms Views of Conditions

the agricultural opportunities ~
"CIoverland." has given his views. in "a
lengthy article. ON the copper country
strike After reyiewinS The strike from
the time uf its inception ou Iuly %.
he SAYS.
"lt d, prontlvas from other than THE
viewpoint of senSationahsm tu rceount
what has occurred in the strike zone
Intimidation. violence. clashes between
the strikers and authorities. wholesale
arrests the coming of the state militia
and the constant patrolliug of tho Sec
ton affected are an matters ~ almost
daily report These are results OF the
strike and express the state of fomeut
when strong forces clash. The strike
is not an foment there were and are
real Incidents of riot. assaults upon
persons and destruction eft property.
las shown by the court records This
/ is what caused COY. Ferris, c"uscrva-
tive minded democratic and kindly lu
/ his attitude towards labor, Co send the
state troops into the territory.
Concerning Labor Conditions.
I'm view of what has occurred the
! thoughtful public should be- Interested
/ m knowing something about the coudi-
/ TONS here, as they relate 10 labor. what
! the situation was before the strike WAS
ordered with respect to liyus rundi-
tons wages aud the attitude ur the
companies. Too frequently prejudiced
lpubic sentiment places the burden of
Iproof upon corporations To- SHOW that
the fcudal system as painted by agita-
tors does not exist Under normal con-
ditions, the situation i'm the copper
country with respect To- labor. has
been cNtolled as rrprescutiug almost
ideal relationships between employers
and employees. This spirit of co-opera-
ton and mutuality of interest for
many years has been "a substantial as
well "a effective expression of the more
modern and humane system. What are
/ the facts as shown 10y the report made
10 GOV. Ferris
Upon the various properties there
ar" l,I5O houses owned 10y employees ou
ground leased from the mining cor
porations upon which u nominal
ground rental of 81 and So per year is
charged. Che companies cannot sell the
! fee because the fee would carry with It
! the mineral rights. According To the re
port made to the governor, the COM
Ipanics own and rent Ia their employees
approx imatcly $500 houses For the
average cottage a charge of 81 or less
| per month per room is charged. This in
many instances included the use of Il
garden plat. q barn, water, free gar
bagc removal and where light is fur
uishcd, from > to 10 cents per ldlowatt
! hour is charged. Many of the com
panies furnish soft coal and wood at
cost There are no company buardins
houses and, with one exception, NO
company stores.
Excellent Schools Here.
In the report to the governor tables
are given showing the cost of living
compared with the same commodities
| purchased in mines at Butte, Mont. Ou
n bill of S35 for such food commodities
rs are usually consumed, tn" saving is
! $N.75 monthly i'm favor of the Michigan
miner en- rents the saving is said to
/ I've Sli in favor of the Michigan PENN
sula miner Medical attendance and
! hospital service rs provided for ON
! pluycs, married and single, for which
| = charge of 81 per month is made to
married men, the service includut
their families, aud 80 cents for single
men This includes medicine. hospital
treatment and surgical operations. The
companies maintain modern hospitals
and the calumet % Hecla is now erect
! ms = new hospital AZ a cost of $50 oOo
! There are public bath houses. public
library. aud since 1904 an old age pen
sion fund has been set aside tor it's
employees. vi employees are furnished
! free pasturacc for one COW.
NO section in the world is equipped
with better schools. I'm Calumet and
! It's adjacent subdivisions, the Calumet
q Ilecla has built ten school buildings
and high SCHOOL and manual training
school at a cost of over $350n0O, which
are rented 10y the school district ON ~
! rental charge which returns about ,
per cent on the investment. other min
liiF ''liIl't'il'N ''ll'l f'N'' ~ Il'l''l
ton for every subdivision is adequate
~ equipped with school facilities
General Conditions.
1T * - far cry indeed, To look upon
| HE copper country as a mining camp
with the usual conditions of such y
situation surrounding II. Take Uough-
ton, Hancock. Calumet LauIium or
any of the other subdivisions Of the
section. Nowhere on this continent
can there he found an industrial cen
ter in which the laboriug man or the
citizen generally, has better opportuni
ties i'm the fullest measure of civic at
tentiOn To his needs and comforts. than
here. Living conditions, educational
facilities, welfare influences and. in
fact, every method seeking the eli
cheney and upbuilding of the individ-
ual and the community spirit are To he
found here. While i'm these matters
the Calumet a. Hecla leads because of
the magnitude of it's operations, the
lesser companies attempt to adopt tho
same methods. AS "A result, the nor
NAL labor situation here is one that
for many wears has been pointed out i'm
an exemplary way.