Weekly journal-miner., 1918-08-07
JEROME SCALE IS
 NOW HIGHEST IN
 COPPER INDUSTRY

lOffEN I'M DO IN
 JEROME. Aug. l.-Following arc the terms of the award made by lily well Davies, alternate U. $. Laboi Administrator to the miners in th' Verde district resulting in the avoid ance of a strike:
 Administrator Award.
 By virtue of the powers conferred on the undersigned as alternate laboi administrator by joint agreemen' made with Judge F. w. Lewis as special commissioner representing the presidents mediation commission in Jerome on November l5, 1917, hereby make the following award 1T the matter of CD wages (2) rent (3) lights and water rates, after in vestigating the claims submitted by the employees for readjustment.
 CD While the general flat advance of fifty cents (50 ccnts) put in effec' all over the state is hereby approved as more than fulfilling the obliga- tions under the sliding scale, but ow ing to certain local conditions in ter one partly created by two recen' fires which have congested housing and rooming conditions. which hav' made living expenses relatively high CT in Jerome than in other mining camps of the state, and partly due t' the failure to carry out building program by thes United Verde as rapidly as conditions seemed to war rant. the wage scale of the JeromC district is hereby further advanced twenty-five cents (25 cts.) per day CT a total of seventy-five cents (7: cts) per day to every employe work ing on per diem rate. effective iron the 1st day of July. 1918.
 In making this rate the proposition of an additional S10000 per annun for continued service is waived and the additional 25 cents per day is granted in lieu of so-called servic, bonus and as an offset to local condi tions that increase cost of living il the Jerome district above the average of other mining camps of the state
 NOtc-AS an explanation of labor. share of the recent advance of 2T cents in the price of copper, the pri- mary cause for the unexpected actior of the war industries board was du' to the 5 per cent plus increase il railroad freight rates and the increas- ed refining charges. The price wa then advanced sufficiently to cover these additions to cost and the nat, ural increase in wages according tC the sliding scale basis
 Therefore, we find that:
 Advance in freight increase cost 25c to lc: advance in refining charges cost. 25c to }4c to Mc; average 2475c.
 It is thus seen that the companie derive no benefit from the said ad vance of 21l cents in the selling price of copper.
 (2) A material reduction in rent to be made by the United Verde Cop per company which amounts to ar annual reduction of about SS,0O0-dc tails will be furnished in a day or two.
 (3) Rate for lights 10 be reduced from l5 cents per kw. hour to IT cents. Water rates to be reduced lCI per cent
 All these awards CD, (2) and (3) are made effective from July 1. 1918
 This award is made in good faitf in the light of available margins for labor out of the 2H-cent copper wi-r due regard 10 some of the local con ditions peculiar to Jerome and Clark dale.
 Details of the proposed building program Of the United Verde Cop per company will be furnished in 2 day or two. which will meet future requirements bv guarantees to the administrator: this makes the depart men of labor jointly with the mer interested partners as to fulfillment |
 All other complaints can be sub | nittcd to the labor administrator in | the near future, especially the crea- ton of the grievanve committee.
 This award places the Jerome dis | 'rict on the most favored wage scale basis in the copper industry.
 Respectfully submitted
 HYWEI. DAVIES, Alternate U. s. Labor Administrator. ]