The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1914-09-05
Butte Loses7by Comparison

The situation in the copper camp of Butte is very acute a the
present time. The miners have threatened that if either state or federal
troops are sent there they will reduce the city to ashes as a means of
wreaking vengeance on the business men. The leaders declare their
men are well provided with dynamite and oil and will list them as in
struments of destruction. Such a condition is little short of absolute
anarchy.
According to Mining and Scientific Press, most interesting com
PARSONS and contrasts are suggested by the accounts of the hearings Of
the commission on industrial relations recently held at Lead, South
Dakota, and at Butte. In the one district no man can obtain employ
ment from the principal company, the Homestake Gold Mining com
pany. unless he signs an agreement not to belong to the labor union; at
Butte he cannot work for the Anaconda Copper company unless he can
show a union card. What the commission thought of Lead after study
ing the situation was summed up by one of its members, Mr.. John r.
Commons, in the following well deserved compliment paid Mr.. 7. J.
Grier, the manager:
you have here the most remarkable business organization that |
have ever come across in this country. You have developed welfare
features which are beyond anything that know OF, and they ar given
with a liberal hand. You have a high scale of wages and reasonable
hours-very fair hours. There has been evidently great progress made
in taking are of the employees in the hospital service, and you have
taken care of the cost of living, have kept it down below what en-
ployes in other communities have been forced to pay. You have prac-
ticaly been able by your great strength here as a huge corporation,
dominating the whole community, to bring in an admirable class of
citizens. 1t seems also that you are Influential in politics, that you e
cure a good class of officials and that you have secured the enforcement
of law, the reduction of immortality. 1t seems also that you make an
effort to build up the religious life of the community and that your
policy is broad and liberal in all respects. take it also, this this policy
depends solely upon your personality. Such inquiries as have made
here indicate that in all cases the stockholders leave all these matters to
you personally, and that this broad policy has been carried out by you
on your own initiative, and that you have felt that it was necessary, for
the good of the community, the securing a fine class of labor here,
which you have undoubtedly done, that you should hold the reins pretty
tight on this community
At first the commission was inclined to blame the companies both
at Lead and Butte for requiring seven days work per week, but its mem
bers soon satisfied themselves that this was at the wish of the men and
involved no real hardship. The hospital service, costing the men the
same amount in both places, was found to be superior at Lead, in that
not only the men but their families ar cared for, there is a medical
Inspection service. and all physical ailments are treated. At Butte tuber-
>ulosis is reported to be prevalent among the miners and is not treated
Gy the hospital doctors, though the company is spending large sums of
money to improve ventilation and other working conditions.