The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-08

day: but a few men, such as the ma
chine runners, receive $3.50 a day. Men
receiving the highest and lowest wages
mentioned in this scale are few in num-
Der Miners working by the day on
company work receive 1884 day;
drivers. S344; unclassiied inside labor.
SEQ; unclassfied outside labor, S2.75.
mo one could accuse this scale of
being outrageously high, even If it
represented regular work and full time.
But during the spring and summer
months many of the mines were in
operation only from one to three days
per week, with the natural consequence
that many of the miners were idle more
than haf the time through no fault of
their own; and in one particular case a
mine averaged only one day a week for
{ rs successive weeks.
with these statistics before you it
does not require a mathematician to
/ figure as to the ability of the miner to
provide the necessities of life for his
family, and education for his children
or a savings account for protection in
his old age or in i'll health.
There are many wild tales in cir
culation as to miners making enormo us
wages. Such evidence is even shown by
some of the records of the companies
/ 1t is true that a few miners doing
/ contract work (hiring men at lower
wages and making a profit themselves
on the coal mined by the men they en-
ploy-a system perncious in itse1r and
denounced and abhorred by the fair
minded miner). and few others in
! specially good working places, make
more than the average but it must be
horne in mind that the larger the num-
Der of men earning more than the
average, the larger the number receiv-
ing less than the average; so 1t does not
make the picture any brighter by giving
rfrt CT tar., 20 1,~
when we understand that for every one
who receives such a competence, a
greater number receive even less than
| the average
LOCAL GRIEVANCES
The thought seems to be prevalent
from press reports that the Alabama
miners have nothing to do with the
general strike, nothing in common with
the central competitive field, no interest
in the settlement nor any grievances of
their own to be settled. The central
competitive field is the basing point for
the wage scale of all the coal producing
states of the country and the Alabama
miners are a part of our international
organization just the same as the
Alabama Coal Operators association of
which Mr.. Harry Taylor is president
Mr. Taylor was in Birmingham only a
month or so ago in conference with
many of the Alabama operators.
| THE fact is that the Alabama miners
have a greater interest in this present
struggle than the miners of any other
state in the union for the reason that
they are receiving much lower wages
and enduring unreasonable conditions,
and ii is our ehdeavor as United Mine
Workers of America to bring the Ala
bama miners up to the standard of our
brothers in other districts throughout
the country who are now receiving on
an average of $l.40 a day more, and
which is not a living wage for them
even where living costs are lower than
here, for according to government sta
tistics the cost of living is higher in
Alabama than in any other coal pro-
ducing state in the union.
st may be further noticed from sta
| tistics of the bureau of labor through
investigation. that a family of four
| should receive $500 year in order to
| live comfortably. Compare this with
the figures given above showing the
authentic average of wages received by
the coal miners Of Alabama.
! y. T. CLEMO,
Secretary-Treasurer, District 90 United
Mine Workers of America. Birming
ham, Ala"