The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-08-08
MINING COMPANIES
ISSUE A STATEMENT
Question of Wages
Not Involved in
Strike.
DEMANDS MAY BE BLIND
Strikers Act Like Pro.Ger-
mans--Men Summoned
Before Draft Board.
TIME MORNING and Hunter strik-

indication that they will re-
turn to work, unless some di-
rect action is taken by the govern
ment to force a resumption. Yester-
day Sheriff Pfel served a large num-
Der of strikers within the draft age
to appear before the local board on
August 10 to explain why they are not
engaged in some productive labor and
If the explanation Is not satisfactory
1t is proposed to induct them immed-
lately into military service How
ever the fact that large number Of
these draft men are aliens makes 1t
uncertain just what action can be
taken in dealing with them. Some Of
them are enemy aliens and II found
necessary these can be interned.
Yesterday evening a statement was
issued Jointly by the Federal Mining
Smelling company and the Gold
Hunter Mining & Smelling company
defining their attitude toward the de-
mands of the strikers. The state
ment follows
wages Not involved.
ut is desirable that the public be
informed of the reasons actuating the
striking miners of the Morning and
Hunter mines
There is no question of wages in
voNed. At the Hunter the full scale
of wages is paid that prevails at the
other mines Of the district and at the
Morning the miners are almost all
working on contract and earning $3.50
to S1l.OO per day, or so per cent to 100
per cent above the wage scale.
THE principal demand made Is for
an eight hour day from portal to por-
tai. That is, that they be carried
to and from their work on their en-
ployer's time. and that their lunch
be eaten on their employers time.
The net result would be that they
would be giving seven hours or less
work for eight hours pay. The pres
ent custom has been the established
custom since the beginning of mining
in the Occur d'Alenes. 1t is the nat
ural and only practicable basis. 1t
would be just as reasonable for the
miners to demand eight hours from
the time of leaving their homes until
their return. 1t is impossible for the
mines of this district to change this
basis, and obtain less hours of work,
and at the same time maintain the
present output.
Change in Pay Day.
"The other demands are for two pay
days monthly, and abolition of the
short change There Is no real need
for two pay days in month. For
over 30 years business has been car
ried on in the district with one
monthly pay day, and no complaint
has heretofore been made. To intro
duce second pay day would entail
a great amount of extra work upon
the operating companies; work which
at this time of scarcity Of office men
1t would be impossible to accomplish.
Lose Shift on Change Day.
"The short change has also been in
vogue from the beginning of mining
operations in the district, but recently
one or two of the mines, including the
Hunter shut down one shift on change
day The change affects each man
only once a month. So far as the
Morning mine is concerned there is no
objection to shutting down one shift;
though in these war times 1t seems
that instead >of working less time
every mine should be worked more. It
may be stated here that it was prop
osed some three years ago to adopt
this shut down at the Morning mine,
but the miners then objected to It,
Lead War Metal.
'"The production of lead has been
steadily decreasing for several months,
due to a number of causes; chiefly to
the fact that so many of the miners
have been called for military duty or
for service connected in various ways
with the war.
Lead is one of the important metals
used in the war. The government
needs all that is now produced, and 4
any further curtailment of production
will embarrass the conduct of the
war;
"A leading eastern paper says: The
man who strikes today may
not be pro-&erman, but he acts
like one.'
"The American Federation of Labor
tells striking machinists in New Jer-