Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-09-04
l$S, ,ser. of Men at Work Re-
IS ,5rted to Be 26; All But
S,Valsen Mines Closed
Down in Chief Districts,
WILL NOT
IMPORT NEW MINERS
Miners Seek to Decide
Whether They Are Strik-|
ing, Locked Out or Laid
Off for Want or Orders,
(By The Associated Press.l

Walsenburg, Colo, Sept. (by
the Associated Press) With oper-
atoms of the Colorado Fuel and
Iron company mines in Huerfano
and Las Animas counties virtually
closed, according to claims of Of
ficials of the United Mine Workers
in District IS, and seriously cur
tailed, according to admissions by
officials Of the company, both sides
were comparatively calm tonight,
following announcement by the
Colorado industrial commission
| that it had taken jurisdiction in
| the controversy and would conduct
! a hearing the morning of Septem-
| ber to decide whether the wage
reductions announced by the COM
pany. effective September l. are
justified.
Announcements tonight by John
p. McLennan, president of District
Is of the mine workers. placed the
number of men at work in the two
counties at twenty-six. This UNI
ber, McLennan declared, were
working in one of the Walsen
mines at the edge of the town of
the Colorado Fuel and Iron COM
pany in this district and in the Las
Animas county or Trinidad district,
are completely closed down, Nc
Lehman said.
Four hundred and thirty
miners are at work in seven of the
company mines in the two districts,
L. H. Weitzel, general manager of
the company, announced tonight.
He declared 1874 men are at work
in the three mines at the Walsen
camp, 80 at Morley, 129 at Fred
erick, As at Sopris and "a at To-
basco, the four latter mines being
in the Trinidad district. Admis-
sion was made by the general man
ager that the company is short of
men to operate its mines at the
reduced wage scales, totaling from
80 to 81 per cent.
However, he said. THE Colorado
Fuel and Iron company has no in
tention of importing men to re-
place the men who have refused to
go to work. Such course, we
fear, would lead to trouble"
Only the mine mules idling In
their corrals were not puzzled by
the situation. While most of the
1900 miners in the Walsenburg !
district were not working, they
were not idle. They were trying |
to figure out whether they were
striking, locked out or merely |
'1aid off for lack of orders"
Claims of both sides as to
whether the men at certain mines
had voted to accept the wage cuts
were reconciled in this district at
least. Union and company officials
agreed that at Kebler No. l., the |
three mines Of the Walsen camp |
and at Ideal the men had voted to
accept the lower scale. Company /
officials admit that at Pictou, Cam
eron and Lester the vote was
against the reduction.
Statements by McLennan were
that the vote had been obtained by
Misrepresentation This the COM
pany officials denied.
Every mine in the Trinidad dis
trict, according to a statement by |
Weitzel voted to accept the lower
scale. While lacking detailed in
formation McLennan denied that
any of the miners in the Trinidad
camps had taken this action. In
the Trinidad field where figures
announced by the company yester-
day placed the number of men at
work Friday at 552, figures today 4
showed drop to 297 in the work
ing force, according to a report an
nounced by Weitzel. He attributed !,
the loss of men to fear and intimi-
dation. These figures announced
by Weitzel show that at the Nor
ley mine yesterday were los men
working, while ninety-nine were
today; at Frederick yester-
day 1877, today 1879; at Sopris yes
terday $50, today forty five; at 4
Tobasco yesterday seventy today
The Tollerberg, Berwind, Pri-
nero and East Morley mines in the
trinidad district are admittedly /
closed. The Starkville and Engle-
burg mines there have been closed
for several months. In the Wal
senburg district, the Tiago and |
Rouse mines have been closed for
several months.
Pending the hearing by the in
dustrial commission of the wage
question the reduced scales will be
adhered to in the mines where they
have already been put in effect ac-
cording to a statement by Gen.
eral Manager Weitzel.
Union officials asserted they II
would make every effort to not Il
permit a pick to be lifted at the
reduced scale. Part of the calm
ness tonight is due to the two-day
holiday ahead, tomorrow being