Arizona republican., 1917-07-08
Copper and Waqes

Advance in the price of copper dur ing the present month means that wages will automatically under the voluntary profit sharing plan extend ed by the producers when the metal market rallied in 1915 and that for work in July the miners will receive under the Miami scale s5.70 per day They are now receiving $5.45. This is predicated upon the present practical certainty that the average price for metal in June will be 30 cents or better. Every point advance above that figure mean an advance over the S5.70 price for an hour days work The workers in every copper district in the state. and in the gold district of Oatman Gold roads, where the cop- per wage schedule was recently with much liberality granted by the min ing companies in spite of the fact that while their metal output has no great CT value than ever in the market their costs of supplies have gone up several times over, have no complaint to make as to wages or hours, or as to safety or health conditions under which they are employed. They con- cede that these vital points are in as sa satisfactory a way as they could ask. Yet they are permitting the agitators struggling for meal tickets and the continuance of pay from foreign enc mics of the country to embroil them over minor points that have been raised and which were not contested before the war That is. the radicals are permitting themselves to be em | broiled, or seeking to be embroiled The conservatives are either leaving | the state in order to avoid embroil- ment or are lining up to oppose the strangling yoke and wholly unpatriot- 1 ic endeavors of the agitatOrs.
 1 In this latter movement there lies some hope. It has extended to many 1 of the trade crafts locals and is eX- banding. It has for it's basis the pa 1 triotism of many union men who re | fuse to be placed in the position o' nutting their hands to the threats of | their government during it's period of stress and who realize better than dc many of their fellows the seriousness | of the present situation and the grea' responsibility resting upon Arizona 1T 1 the matter of outputting all of tht | copper that the government and It: allies may have need for. How fal these men may go. or be able to go
 in the face of the intimidation whicf will be brought to bear. is an oper l question: They have no backing iron l the federal arm, even secret sserVlcf aid being wholly lacking in most o' the districts. Policing in the state i' entirely inadequate. In these respects the situation is discouraging in thf
 extreme. and no remedy seems II sight. The federal government car | alone be looked to, for the interna
 situation in the state is such by force | of circumstances that the interference
 of state. county or municipal author Io ol1o tn
 tives of the corporations and migh
 prove only an irritant.
 There is arising, however, all owe the state a strong feeling among It ! business men and conservative work
 CTS that the matters have been pushe' | about as far as they can permit I'm l constant annoyances brought hv tn | 2 ritators in disturbance of conditions of normal operation of mines and Il business and social circles have no
 only caused irritation from nor
 or less selfish stadpoint, but, latterly
 distrust and belief in sinister anu
 government motives underlying tn
 propaganda and calling for very mucr
 more drastic treatment than woul' | have been felt justified at an earile
 period It is possibly true that if tn
 agitators realized how this feeling l
 extending and the menace that it l
 growing to be to them, they might ge
 out hurriedly. It is also possibly tru
 that if the government realized a
 well as does most of the Arizona pub
 lie what great harm the ag1tator
 might bring about, it would take step
 of effective character before matter!
 went further.
 None know as well as the Arizon;
 miner the damage a very few mel
 might bring about with comparativel,
 small endeavor. They know that dam 1 age to a mine is not a matter tha
 can be overcome in a few weeks or {
 few months, and that such damage
 can readily be done to most mines a'
 to put them out of commission in
 definitely, and possibly forever. They | know also that mines, mills and smelt- 1 CTS closed down even for few days by strike methods cannot be put bacl in efficient production under a mat l ter of several months.