The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-09-26
Statement of the
Federal Lead Co.
To Its Employees
and to the Public

On September 18th a circular lettel
addressed presumably to all of tn
Lead Companies in this district ant
signed by Edward CROUCH, Vice-Pres
ident of the International Union o
Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, wa
received by this company, the lette,
being as follows:
"Owing to q great feeling of
dissatisfaction and unrest exist
ing among your employees at this
time, l respectfully ask you to
meet committee Of your en-
ployes in conference, to the end
that some satisfactory agree
ment may be reached, regarding
the right of the employees to be-
long to Trade Union, the wag-
es he is to receive for his labor,
as well as improvements in gene
raj working conditions.
"The great majority of your
employees are members of the In
ternational Union of Mine, Mill
and Smelter Workers, and gen.
eral feeling exists that they are
being Disseminated against be-
cause of said affiliations. Be-
cause of this alone, if nothing
else, we feel conference should
be held at the earliest possible
date and all possible done to bring
about satisfactory agreement so
that peace and harmony may ex-
list and production go on unceas-
ingly.
"Your employees instruct me to
request your permission for In
ternational officers to take part
in any such conference that they
may give their assistance in the
settling of existing grievances.
asking you to give this mat
ter serious attention Immediately
and that you notify me at Bonne
Terre, P. o. Box 126, by Sept. 25,
of your decision"
We do not recognize the right of a
officer of miners union, unless h
is himself one of our employees, t
speak for our employees, and we hay
therefore not replied to this lette
but we are taking this opportunity d
publicly stating our position with rel
erence to the points raised in said lei
ter, as we'll as certain facts pertainin
to our mining operations:
/. We are at all times glad to NEE
a committee Of our own employees,
they have anything whatever to tax
up with us, irrespective of whethe
such employees are members of III
ion.
2. We do not discriminate again'
any of our employees because of the
being members Of a miners union.
8. The working conditions of OF
employees compare very favorably wit
those of the best equipped and be-
conducted mines in the United State
in respect to all such matters :
change rooms, housing, safe-guart
from accidents and skilled medical a
tention in all cases of accident.
A. We have also had in effect Il
some wears a life insurance syste
whereby, without any charge upon IL
employe, should death occur from ar
cause to an employe of ours, OF OF
years service or more, substanti
payment is made to his beneficiary
5. We have had in effect for, son
years pension system for employ
of long service and advanced age.
6. As to wages, due to the hit
cost of living, we are paying wai
scale within about 10 per cent of Il
highest wages paid during the wa
time price for lead and with the gre
drop in lead price after the armistit
we were confronted with such hea'
loss in operating our lower gra
mines that early in January of tn
year we closed mines 5, 6 and ii al
in March also closed mines l and
keeping in operation only the tN
better-grade mines-Nos. 8 and
Even upon this better grade ore o
operations for the first seven mont
Of this year have shown a loss
S270,072.5S upon the basis Of accour
ing laid down by the Federal Cover
ment.
FEDERAL LEAD CO.,
Per H. A. GUESS, Pres.