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

- the prodrcI "a them muit.piled W
the numoer Of DAYS worked. A man
receiving $IUU u uay would receive q
pretty nIsn raIe. bul II he worked only
one u4y IN tie year. his annual liz
come would be 4 SI00. wouldn't itg
" lille the average rate OF the Iii
nols miners was increasing the mum
Der OF days work. they contriyed to
Set in . year was declining SO that
the average annual earnings actually
decreased. Comparing the annual
average OF 1908 with that OF 1912
shows gain OF "a per cent It Is
true but in Ave years OF the decade
the annual average was less than In
1903, SO that the aggregate for the
ten years was actually S5.240. where
as il the 1903 rate had been continu-
ed throughout the period the aggre-
gate average annual earnings would
have been s5.4z6.
In other words. the result OF going
on strike for I6.Js9.340 days on or
ders from the union and with all the
benefits that recognition OF the union
could confer was net loss OF $lS5
for each miner
This does not represent the total
to pay dues and asseksments,., which
Tie naa-anion miner. OF course. does
not pay. And the Illinois miner paid
every cent charged against him by
the union, because the agreement be-
tween tho union and the operators
provides for the unlimited check off.
which means that the operafcrs de-
duct the wages Of the miners and
turn over to the union treasurer any
amount they are requested by the
union officers to collect. The miner
never sees this money.
The national per capita tax Is 50 n
year Multiplying the aumher of
employees OF Illinois miners for ten
years by 81 gives a total Of $780,
co.. To this sum must be added as-
sessements levied from time to time
and local dues
ii is therefore. no doubt an under.
estimate 10 say that. counting wages
lost. dues and assessments paid. the
miners Of Illinois have paid $50 900. :.
600 for the privilege OF belonging to a
union for ten years.
These startling figures are render.
dered stili more impressive by COM
parsson with results in the non-union
State OF West Virginia. Turning to
the Geological Surveys report we
IND that in 1910 and 1911. the two
years preceding the war for the com
pulsory unionixation OF wes, Virgin
Ia. the coal miners Of the United
States were on a strike nm aggregate
OF 2a.2ss.csi days.
or this total. s.2s4.54f days. or
nearly half the total. were confrshu,-
ed by the model union State of III
nois. while the miners OF West Vir-
gfnia. less than per cent. Of whom
BELONGED TO the union. were on strike
only 2o.s6s days in the two vears
As West Virginia produces Q ; per
cent. of the coal in the United States
II the miners OF the State had been
on strike their proporfionate share OF
the total they would have ioss STs
$50 days. Instead of only 80. ssS DAYS
saving OF i.sfs.4iT days work bv
tie simple expcdient OF not belong
ing 10 n union.
Multiplying this by the avera--e rate
OF wares In Illinois gives the sum OF
SS.llf-ss4 as the amount gained by
the miners OF West Virginia by no,
belonging to the union for two wears.
Ihetr actual gains were larger. be-
cause the average annual earuinrs ~
non-union West Virginia arc hirher
than those OF union Illinois.
For II is an amazing fac, ,ha, in
each OF the most eonspicuous ,hree
strikes conducted by the United Nine
workers In recent wears. those in
West Virginia. Vancouver Island ard
Colorado. the miners affected were
Receiving higher wages than the
miners In the States where the union
was strongest. The highest annual
average in ten years in the model
union State OF Illinois was 1856 in
1919. In that same year. the year
the insurrection was begun by the
union. the West virginia Bureau o.
Mines reported the annual averar
earnings of miners In that State As
s6is.
The report OF the Minister OF Mines
OF British Columbia for 1912 gives the
average daily wages OF miners as 81 70
to 81 day: of hsirers. s2.Se. of la
borers. sa.se to $3.50; mechanics and
skilled lahorers. s2ss 10 ss.S7. And
the miners OF Vancouver Island work.
ed three hundred days In the year. as
compared with the 1874 DAYS Of the
union miners OF Illinois.
Why. tho lowest paid iaborer In the
noE-union mines of Vancouver Island
earned an average Of ss5S during the
year. or $500 more than the union
miner OF Illinois. White the best min
ers earned m AVERAGE OF ss.ioo a
year. or nearly four times as much rs
the average Illinois miner. Yet the
Uaited Mine Workers sent men f-s.,
indianapolis TO enforce strike
against these ''inhuman condftions'
In Vancouver island. and collected
through the chcck off ffty cents n
month from the scanty earnings Of
the Illinois rniuera nn tho r,rnt a.x I