The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1914-11-26

nection, that President Whites re-
port for 1913 shows 5.C6l members of
the union la British Columbia, while
the report OF the Minister OF Mines
Tor 1912 shows only 5,275 underground
coal mine employees In the whole
! province Also, that by a pleasant
tction. as officially announced from
week TO week In the United Mine
/ workers Journal, the strike" is stiil
on in Vancouver Island, though the
mines are working full time with
waiting list OF men who want work.
The report of the Colorado Bureau
Of Mines says nothing regarding
wages; but a census bulletin gives
the total wage cost of mining ton of
coal In 1909 in Colorado as 80 cents
and In Illinois as 81 cents. The
Illinois Bureau of Mines gives the ay-
erase number OF days work in 1912 as
l6e, though the Geological Survey
gives 1s4 days. In Colorado the av-
erage was 227 days. and In the United
states 22S days II VIII be seen,
therefore, that the Colorado miners
have sieadier work than the average
miner and much steadier than the
Illinois miner
Since a union card brings financial
loss rather than gain. IT may be
worth while TO inquire whether there
are other advantages which offset
this pecuniary loss.
Shorter hours can hardly be a mat
ter worth going 10 war about. Il Is
Wei known that the miners. constf-
iuiins the greater number OF coal
mine employees. are paid by the ton
and are free TO work as few or as
many hours as they please. and that
they rarely work eight hours In any
one day or the employees at day
wages some work nine hours. Others
ten hours in non-union fields. Buf
Il can hardly be contended that
man who works only 227 TO 2ss davs
year is overworked. even when his
day consists Of ten hours. Anv man
| sincerely desirous OF getting on in
the world would want to work more
than Eve days n week.
Neither can the privilege Of trad
Ing where be pieases be a genuine
Point OF contention by the miners
The fact that independent stores ex-
isf near all coal camps that have haa,,
established for any length of time ,s
prima facie evidence that the miner.
have. and freely exercise, the right 10
trade where they please: for as the
entire population Is engaged IN coaI
mining these independent stores have
no support except that which comes
from the miners
PRESIDENT White IN his annual re-
por'. punished In the same issue OF
me Journal. speaks Of an assessment
o. ev cents per member per month
levied IN September. 1879. and con.
,inned to date. Apparently he had
'o'a " iorsotien an assessment Of so
cents n month for February and
March. the official notice OF which
was first published in the official
Journal Of February -. 1918. An.
o,her official notice in the journal
OF AUGUST 2S ievies an assessment N
% cents an month for September and
october. while stin another notice
on October rs. continues the assess.
ment after October Tin the strikes
are won
! here are five months in the year
covered BY the secretarv-t- snro-,s
report IN which assessments ~ "a
Gems man a month we-a levied and
collected. The paid up men,haruhg,
Tor these months. according 10 p-ess-
dent Whites annual rerorf. was a..
Ioiows: In Fehrtarr. eos a-s. 4,
March, Ss3.sas; I'm September. sss
Sss: In October. 4o2.Ss7: in Novern.
Der. 27t.3sS. This makes the total
sum from assessments $3.50 CSC IN
stead OF. sef3.ie1. as reported by the
secretary-treasurer.
| Here Is little trff1e Of seas 90,
; which according TO official cornuunf-
cations published in the official organ
OF the union seems to have heen col.
iected. but which has totally disan.
peared from the official report of the
secretary treasurer.
Is II permissible to digress fro,,
denunciation OF Rockefeller and the
inhuman conditions for which he
Is alleged to be responsible 10 ash
wnat has become OF ftg
' The apparent total dfsanneararc.
OF this large sum in a single vear
coupled with the recent conviction =,
twenty-nine officers of ano.her lahor
union for using the funds of their or.
ranixafion to conduct nationwIds
dynamite conspiracy. the convjction /,
rev years ago of the notorious sar,
Parks for using the power OF his unior
TO estort blaekmail.. and Of n number
o. similar cases since then. throws
INTO strong relief the fact that the
rank and fie Of istor unions have no
nroteciion from the acts OF their Of
Ulcers. no guarantee thn. the funds.
sometimes iarwe. entrusted TO tho
-care OF these officers win be honestly
administered.
since Congress Il 50 fond OF fnves-
'Seung later problems. would Il NOT
be a'rood idea 20 Investigate the labor
unions themselves with n view 70 de.
sisinE some ssfeennrd that might be
ot serstre In insurinw the humble