El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-06-12
IDEAL WORKING
CONDITIONS FOR
TEXAS MINERS
President Cunningham Pre-
sents Comparison of Those
Here and in Colorado.

Both sides Of the coal miners shield
is shown by president Edward Gun
ningham, who has worked as coal
miner for many years.
Having worked in Colorado and being
q close student OF the coal miners con-
dftion IN that field, the president Of
the Texas Federation Of Labor is prob
ably in the best position to compare the
coal mining conditions IN COLORADO TO
those of Texas, where union conditions
Conditions in the Colorado and the
Texas fields cannot be compared, but
only contrasteo, he says IN our own
state we have the eight hour law IN
the bituminOus fields, while in Colora-
do where there are no unions, they
have TO work longer hours underground
and under conditions that are danger
Gus TO their health and life We have
a two wears contract. They have none.
Our union is recognized IN all grievance
matters and our committees can go to
the operators at any time. In Colora-
do the miners have been forced 70 arbl-
trate with rifles and to AgnI the state
militia We have the cheek Welghman
to protect our interests IN COLORADO
there is a law requiring check weigh
man. but the corporations so control
the state that the law Is not enforced
and the men suffer thereby Our day
wage scale is from Sz;e5 70 SSsIS Tor
underground work and from Sz-z5 10
$685. for outside work IN the bltumln-
Gus field. Colorado has no wage scale
We have no 'scab labor and our men
are cOntented- render better service
and conditions between the operators
and the miners are constantly growing
better because Of fair treatment, lair
wages and model working conditions
LOngshOremen Are "Lost,7
Iongshoremen. cotton screwmen,
dockmen and other waterfront workers
are attending he convention from the
gulf coast They speak a lang uase
that is little understood out here IN an
irrigated country and they have Deen
forced TO 20 down TO the river front
daily to rest their eyes on little I'd
ter TO keep back the homeslckness- -,
7 NJ Barb, lOngshoreman from N1aL-
weston local No. 3s5, and ). W Young
Of the Galveston local No SlU, inter-
national LongshOremen's association,
are two of the salt water lonssnore Ilen
who are here to represent tnelr unions
at the convention
Born on the Galveston water lronl'
the son Of a cotton screWman' uelesLto
Young has lived within the SOUND OF the
waves booming in Galveston bay al
his life. He has many interesting eA-
nerfences TO tell Of water front scenes
OF strange cargoes he has nanoteu anu
OF experiences he has had with the sail
ors from ships that hail from every
vessel Loading An Art
sIongshore work is not like il used
+o h when the goods were slam banged
into the holds Of ships regardless OF
their condition or the space 70 DC
filled" longshoreman Dung says
Now a lOngshoreman must be an Ell
ficfencv expert. for space in the hold OF
a shin is that ships stock IN trade ana
the man who can load II 10 the best al
vantage is Sle most valuable man On
the docks. We maintain cooperase
On the Galveston docks to repair casks
and bales before they are loaded ana
we also repair all crates ana containers
wherever possible before they are
placed IN the sling and lowered into the
hold of rht vessel The scientific part
OF our trade is 70 get the greatest bulk
into the smallest space and yet protect
the cargo from damage There IS where
the cotton sCrewmen get IN their WORK
If the cargo is TO be cotton 1ney use
powerful hydrulic jacks with Wnlcn 70
screw cotton into the smallest posslole
e1are in the hold and then drop the
kew so that it will stay in place during
the voyage -.-,
THE stranEest cargo I ever handled
mas a shinmenr Of ostriches that came
from South Africa We were unIaIllll-
lar with the habits Of this particular
bird. ostriches not beng hauNe 20 OtL
sand dunes and we had some TAN "oIh
to get those long legged CHICKENS OH
the boat and onto the dock tlnally We
blindfoIded them I got behind ana
dragged 81 by the neck and We landed
mister bird right side up on the WharI
without the use Of hooks.
The Mexican cattle. called Mexican
butterflies, because W -
them by the horns, and Mexican sun
fish. because they are so thln- are an
Other bothersome cargo for Us to han
aye The old practice was to throw
tow rope eround their horns and drag
them out Of lie hold But the humane
sociat7- nut a SOP to that because an
animal would sometimes get caught IN
the matches and either have its horns
or head pulled off. Now We put a
sling around their bellies and swing
them ashore like horses
Handling Big Guns.
DeIegate Barb says the strangest
cargo he ever handled was 4 Shipment
which came TO Galveston by water and
was transferred there TO the southern
Pacific cars for transportation through
FL PasO to the coast he says that
+Lo71sands OF cars Of Texas onions are
loaded into the ships every season for
TRANSPORTATION to the Atlantic coast
states