The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-06-21
Suspension Caused
by the Boarding
House Strike
NORTHPORT TROUBLES
Report That Tamarack Ore
Will Be Shipped to the
Kellogg Smelter.
TAMARACK & Custer Min

"HE TAMARACK & Custer Min
ing company is preparing to re-
sumo mining and milling oper-
ations and within the next few
days is expected to be running at full
capacity This announcement is not
based upon official information, for
there is no such thing as official in
trolled mines, so far as the public is
concerned. 1t is nevertheless based
upon Information which The Miner
regards as reliable. In fact, the re-
sumption has already begun. Quite
number of men have been sent up to
the mine during the past week to do
the preliminary work about large
plant which is always necessary after
pairs were also necessary on the wag-
on road leading to the mine. This
work is now about rounded up and 1t
was learned yesterday that the man
today to prepare for the accommoda-
tion of a large force 1t was also
learned this week that Dan Murphy
has resigned his position at the Green
Hill Cleveland and has taken the po-
siton of foreman at the Tamarack
Custer. 1t is understood that men
will..be employed as rapidly as posi-
BILE until full quota has been secur-
800.
Shut Down Three Months.
The Tamarack & Custer closed
down about the middle of last March,
three months ago. The immediate
cause of the shutdown was a notice
posted in the boarding house to the
effect that beginning March 10 the
price of board for employees of the
company would be advanced 25 cents,
making the rate $1.25 per day. Sim
liar notices were posted at other mine
boarding houses of the district about
the same time, but there were notable
exceptions. Two or three weeks prior
to the advance in the price Of board
TALL the mines of the district had vol
UNFAIRLY advanced wages 20 cents per
day, making the. rate $4.75, the pre-
sumption being that it was intended
to give the employees further share
in the unusual profits of the mines.
The advance in the rate of board de-
prived the employees of all benefit OF
the increase in wages and the Tam
arack men refused to submit to 1t.
The outcome was that all of thenr
quit. The fact that the management
made no effort to secure men to take
the place of the strikers indicated
that the company was willing to close
and it soon developed that in strik-
ing, the employees had made it easy
for the company to do the very thing
it wanted to do. 1t is presumed that
the advanced rate for board will be
retained by the Tamarack company,
as it is understood to prevail at all
company boarding houses except the
interstate Cdildldil, WHICH SILL du
heres to the 81 a day rate.
Why the Long Suspension.
At the time the Tamarack & Gus
ter closed down it had just got fair
lly started after a heavy expenditure
for the purchase and remodelling OF
the Frisco mill on Canyon creek and
the construction of an aerial tram
way connecting the mine and mill.
Under the circumstances much spec
uation was INDUCED in as to the
cause of the suspension without an
attempt to keep running. And the
matter is still subject of speeula-
tion, but the impression prevails that
it was due partly to lack of capac-
II ity of the Northport smelter to han
die both the Hercules and Tamarack
ore, partly to a shortage of coke for
the smelter, and partly to difficulties
in satisfactorily treating Tamarack
ore. That there We're difficulties which
for the time were insurmOuntable Is
certain, for 1t Is contrary to reason
Z that the company would permit the
propety to remain idle from choice
during period when lead and silver
were commanding such high prices.
Bunker Hill to Handle Tamarack Ore.
4 Further weight Is now added to the
reports that the Northport smelter is
unable to handle the Tamarack ore
by report that the Bunker Hill &
Sullivan smelter has taken a contract