Denver labor bulletin., 1915-12-11
Coal Miners

N-sN
United Mine Workers of America show
that this organization is making good
progress in Colorado, particularly in the
Northern fields. In firestone the local
.eorganized during the last week and
substantial growth was noted elsewhere
their field. The organizers, however
are not very communicative and they
prefer to follow up their work without
giving it undue publicity. Good pro
gross il also being made in Southern
fields. In HuerfanO county, most OF the
mining camps are organized again and
good local has been established ut Ag.
,fiIar.
John H. McLennan made IA trip to
Colorado Springs last Tuesday to look
after the Unions interests in that vicin-
sty.
President Harrigan of District IA, United
Mine Workers Union, has called on
members to stamp out Illegal strikes.
He says: "These local shutdowns and
strikes only fortify the position OF the
operators to restrict the progress Of our
union. We have no doubt" he continues,
fif these few members of our union who
have disregarded our contract could
thoroughly realize what terrible effect
this procedure has had on our gaining
an Organization in the non-union fields
Of this country, they would hesitate be
fore resorting to such action" The dis
srict executive shows that every illegal
strike is recorded by the operators and
IS used against the workers at wage
conferences.
I "Whilc deaths in mines have been re-
auced. the percentage is still too big"
says Director Manning of the United
States Bureau of Mines, in a report just
issued. "The figures for 1914 show that
456 less men were killed than in the year
1918. The total number of men killed
in all coal mines, metal mines and quar-
cies in 1914 WAS 3,l93. In the year 1918
the number was 3,65l.
"Thcse totals do not tell the whole
story. There were more than ii million
men employed in these mines aud quar-
ries, and the death rate for the year
1914 was BIG for each 1000 men em-
piorcd, as compared with 3.49 for the
year 1913. In other words, in nearly
every mining camp OF any size in the
country there is one miner spared to his
family who would have been killed had
the same iatallty rate Obtained IN l9l4
as in the previous year. These results
are an eloquent tribute to the unceasing
nationwide campaign which is being car
ried on in behalf of the miners by the
operators, the miners themselves, the
state mine inspectors and the bureau of
mines.
Il think it is to the credit of Ameri
can manhood and American ideals that
,:whiie the European nations at war are
issuing their terrible casualty lists with
the names of killed and wounded by the
thousand we have so many agencies
striving not to kill, but to save life, and
that we can issue lists showing a dwind-
hng. decreasing death rate in our Ameri-
can mines. i do not mean by this that
we have in any way reached ideal con-
ditions. More than three men killed out
of every 1000 employed in the mines is
too big a percentage of deaths. 1t in
cludes much more than the natural haz-
ards Of the industry. What we are striv-
ing for is to get the rate down to that
point and with the loyal assistance we
are receiving from so many sources We
expect to accomplish that much"