The copper era and Morenci leader., 1918-07-26
VOLUNTARY RAISE.
 IN WAGES BY P J.
COPPER QUEEN BRANCH Acrs AS SOON AS PRICE OF COPPER A0VANCED-WAGES NOW aAS. ED ON 90 CENT COPPER,

Almost simultaneously with the an. nouncement that the price of copper would be made 26 cents, an advanco or 1-2 cents per pound, came the an, nouncement of A. T. Thomson, Assist. ant to the president of the Phelpo. Dodge Corporation, of an increase fn the wages of the miners employed by their organization. This announce ment is typical of the policy of the Phelps Dodge company, the Copper Queen branch in particular having the record of being leader in all wage advances. They are justly proud of the fact that their men have never found it necessary to strike for high- CT wages, the company watching closely increased costs and anticipaf- ing such requests.
 A few days after the preliminary announcement that wages would be raised came another saying that they would be raised 50 cents a shift. It was not anticipated that the ralee would be as much as this, because of the fact that the mining compan1ev have been paying on the basis of 26 cent copper. Moreover, according to the sliding scale of wages agreed upoa by the companies some time ago, the raise in wages for each one cent raise in the price of copper would be 12. l-2 cents per shift; a, raise of 3 1-2 cents in the. price would bring the raise agreed upon about 35 cents, 90 that the announcement that 1t would be fifty cents was indeed welcome. Before July first the companies were paying wages based on copper at 26 cents, although they. were getting but 23 1-2; now they are paying wages based on. 30 cent copper, but receiv- ing 26 cents per pound.
 The increased price of copper has been due to persistent efforts on the part of the producers and the em- ployees alike, the negotiations for which extend over a. considerable per iod of time. The sole purpose of these efforts was to get higher price that would allow for higher wages; 1t will mean little or nothing to the profits of the company.
 It is undoubtedly true that a few of the companies would have been able to pay a slightly higher wage with B 1-2 cent copper, but if these few had done so, it would have caused much instability in the labor situa- tion, trouble in the camps which, could not afford an increase, curtailing of production in properties of higher costs without a corresponding in- crease in production, and would have effectually stopped smaller producers The condition would have reacted t.. the ultimate disadvantage of the coun- try as whole by a lessened produc- ton of the red metal at hlsner costs.
 The varying scale in different min- ing camps closely situated would have brought about an excess of labor in some camps and shortage in others. It would have been condition simf- lar to that reported from the ship- yards where stories of high wages led to an excess of labor.
 There is no question about the la boring man being entitled to more wages, for the cost of living is in- creasing rapidly. Simultaneous an- nouncements of the increase of the price of copper and the increase wage scale indicate clearly the purpose of the effort for the higher price, even though the message of the President accompanying this increase did not mention the fact.
 MT. Thomson expresses as his opin- ion that the increase would be retro active, beginning from July first, and it is probable that it will be general in scope