El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-10-21

possibly be.
Have Substantial Backing.
With the strikers is every merchant
who is independent and many who are
not independent It might be said that
Clifton is practically sOlidly with the
men-and / am bearing in mind that
the county peace officers and battal-
ion Of the Arizona national guard are
there. though their mission is TO sup
press disorder, no matter by whom in
stisated-
BY .practicaIly soIidly' I mean TO ex-
cept those company officials and en-
ployes who may not agree with the
strikers but who nevertheless go back
and forth through the town, quietly at
tending to their business as usual Their
wives and children pass strikers on the
streets and are treated with entire re-
spect They are just living as they
always do
The Possible Testimony.
Some Of the testimony which may
come out in a federal investigation
may be along these lines:
l. The inOrdinstely low pay when
taken in conjunction with prices
charged This applies more to the
foreign labor than to the much more
highly skilled and more highly paid
American labor. The Americans are
most CALLED by the struggles OF the.
miners and smeltermen for a living and
by the oppressive conditions which
A4EL EU4AeA4EL sur 0lA4 themselves
Cost Of Living.
. The cost Of the necessities Of life.
It is claimed prices run from so to 200
per cent higher than in other south
western places Prices set by the COM
pany stores pretty generally govern
the Independent merchants also. I was
told sugar could be bought at the rate
Of nine or ten pounds for 81 by buying
II IN 100 pound lots The cheapest cuts
Of meat were rarely quoted under 20
cents a pound Canned goods such as
we ordinarily expect to buy at the rate
Of three for % cents, cost Is cents
straight in Clifton and MOrenci, though
sometimes they may be had at the rate
OF two for quarter.
These are just items picked up at
random Practically the same ratio
holds throughout the entire list Of
things one must have. A Csc meal in FL
PasO, Douglas, Bisbee OF Tucson costs
at least 50 cents with very much lower
overhead charges in the strike dis
trict. simply because the materials
which go 70 make Up that meal, cost
so much more
Water is High.
3 The water charges made at
least a score Of inquiries on that point. |
Summarized, I was told that If you |
had a five-rOom house with a small /
lawn and a few trees, your water bill I
would be about So a month. It might I
run a trifle under that figure, or might 4
90 TO s7.50. Judging by premises !
shown me as examples the same cost 4
in FL Paso should be So for summer /
and 80 cents for winter But this was 1
in Clifton where feeling about the wa
ter cost was not so great In Morenci, /
I was told, the price for water service /
was still more excessive It was de- j
clared formerly the custom to charge I
each company employe there 81 /
month for water if he were unmarried 4
II ne stayed at a hotel or lodging 4
house, he was charged the 81 and, in i
addition, the hotel was charged for the I
water consumed on the premises In 4
other words, there was a direct double
charge I understand this particular
practice has since been discontinued by
order Of the state corporation commits
sion
Paying for the Hospital.
T. The hospital charge. Each en-
plOye OF the Arizona Copper company,
I am told. is charged 81 a month toward /
the maintenance Of a very small and
looking hospital &C
but a few patients How
ever, II a man is stricken otherwise 4
than by accident. he is charged 81 a i
day additional while he is in the hos
pitaL If he is injured and cannot be I
accommodated at the hospital because
OF its crowded condition, the monthly I
hospital fee goes right on
Shift Bosses as Grafters.
3 Grating by shift bosses This !
evil is said to be confined largely to 4
Miners Of very limited wages 4
as above described have been obliged I
in many instances, the miners and their i
leaders say, TO pay from s. to SIS
month TO a shift boss for the privilege
OF getting work and keeping it Shift /
bosses thus grating from their men.
sometimes took their gains to build /
two-room shacks, costing about $3.50.
which they rented TO their employees
At about SO a month I heard many /
times this last narrative Of double
shooting the turn" The shift bosses
and other minor officials against whom I
these allegations are made are not now |
IN Morenci-
Grievances Dnadiusted.
These are the principal things Of
which complaint is made. There are
many minor complaints which may or !
may not be threshed out before Joseph
r. Myers, representative Of the United
States department Of labor.
The strikers do not hold the mine
in FL Paso entirely or even
largely to blame. further than that
proneness TO rely entirely upon the (
statements Of minor officials rather
han give the compliments a fair hear
ug and Investigation is alleged.
In fact, in spite Of all the undoubted
wrongs which have been perpetrated in
hat district for years by somebody
upon a hardworking, sober and loyal
community Of people. this IS true: If
ne three mine managers were today to
20 to Clifton. step from the train and
say. "BOys. maybe things haven't been
lust right in the past; let's start in all
over again. working as men together
or your families welfare and the COM
lanies' benefit so we all may prosper"
he strikers say they would forget the
past and give them such a demonstra-
ion OF good viii as would surprise I
hem.
If Managers Will Only
7 don't know how often in the past
week at Clifton ] have heard this ex-
,lsmation-
on. if the managers would only (
'ome part way in giving US a square I
zeal what loyalty could be developed
lere and what an efficient working
ipirit, For a man viii work his head
IF for a boss who treats him like a
luman-"
There is only one way. it now APP
)ears. in which this strike movement /
an be broken. It can't be broken by
'owinE dissension. The picketing is so
borough that got a man can get into /
my one OF the three camps without his
IDENTIFY and business being known |
quickly.
It can't be broken py strike breakers.
or the peace officers, the state militia I
md every able bodied union man in the /
district is ready TO meet them between I
he Greenlee county line and Clifton