The Washington herald., 1920-02-03
Priest Criticises Mine
Operators and Declares
. For Federal Ownership
Bv John HEARLEY.

Q. But you spoke. of undue COM
petition?
A. Yes. This is the prime cause
of all the difficulties that exist be-
tween miners and operators. The
miners In many sections work little
more than half time. In one mining
State, for a period of ten years,
1906-1s16. $4,000 miners averaged
only about 165 days a year. There
are, or were before the war, about
100000 miners In the United States.
These miners worked an average of
about ITS days year, while they
could have well worked $50. Here
we have an actual loss in produc-
tive labor to the country of 100000
900 days labor a year. This Is ex-
ploitation.
But the loss to the miner is of a
more vital character. First of all,
he has struggled with the uncer-
tainty of his livlihood ever before
him. He was given q job: he moved
his family into miners hut in
some remote mining camp. Certainly,
he had a right to suppose that he
would be permitted to work for the
support of his family. He worked
steadily. perhaps for a month. The
wage was sufficient, let US say. But
the next day and the next day the
whistle failed to blow; there was
no work. Then he worked two days
a week. Sometimes he worked but
three or four days a month But
that was quite natural, you will say,
because the operator had no orders.
Alright, the operator, had no orders,
but, worse still. the miner had no
shoes for his little ones! They were
poorly clad and poorly nourished. all
too often in this land of fabulous
wealth. because the operator had no
orders.
1t is question again, my friend, of
values. You cannot reckon human life
upon an economic basis. If you hire a
man to give you the product of his
moor. YOU are not making a pure eco
nomic barter. You are not, buying
and selling a mere commodity. as you
would buy and sell a hatchet When
Eru barter for mans labor, you are
taking upon yourself the responsible
-ity fur his material well-being! You
are promising him a wage that will
provide a decent living for his wife
and little ones.
II Is not his part to know the condi-
tions OF the general coal market. He
is a poor laborer, ready to risk his
life in dark Caverns OF the earth to
earn bread for his BARNS. II he were
capable of deciding the relative op-
portunities in the different industries.
he would not need yOuf job. lie would
be fit for a captaincy in industry.
OF what use in terms of bread and
butter and shoes and clothing is a
day-wage. or a price per ton, if there
is no work and If there are no tons
to mine? This is the problem that
confronts the miner. as he sits in
his dismal hoveI behind the smoking
dump. With him II is a problem of
life and not a speculation of econ
omics.
Opposes Proht-sharing. o.
ada, you then believer in ths
Notwithstanding schemes that are put
forth7
Al do not. To my mind this Is
not the immediate solution of the
problem. For you leave the root Of
the evils untouched. simply transfer
ring the difficulties from one body of
men to the other. do not mean to
say that cooperation would not be
practical under favorable conditions.
But changes from one system to an
other are not simple processes. Men
speak lightly of changing Industrial
systems without considering the dis