The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1921-04-21
MINING COMPANIES
TO REDUCE WAGES
Formal Notices Are
Posted Effected
May l
CUT OR CLOSE DOWN
That is Condition Confronting
Operators on Account of
Low Lead Price
CUT OR CLOSE DOWN

n 7 Offices WERE posted at the
M various mines. mills and smell
ters of the Occur dAlene dis
trict yesterday and today an
nouncing a flat reduction in wages of
so cents per day at the mines and
mills and 20 cents at the Bunker Hill
smelter applicable to all employees
and effective May l. This action was
clearly forestalled within the past
two weeks in public interviews with
representatives of at least two Of the
operating companies, and therefore
the posting of the notices this morn
ing created no surprise SO far as
can be learned employees will gener-
ally accept the reduction and continue
at work as usual To do otherwise
would doubtless result in suspension
of operations, and under present con-
dtions intelligent working men are
disposed to act upon the theory that
lower wages is better than no wages.
It is true that there are other costs in
connection with mining that should
come down as well as the cost of la
Dor, but these are not within the con
troll of the operators 1t is also true
that living costs have not come down
to an extent corresponding with the
cut i'm wages. This is a matter that
should receive immediate attention by
the mining companies, for it is be-
heved that they are in position to
remedy this condition and secure
material reduction in living costs.
Work for Wallace Committee.
In this connection attention is call
ed to the fact that a committee from
the Wallace board of trade is now
engaged i'm investigating prices in all
mercantile lines in this city and win
compare them with prevailing prices
i'm other communities it having been
charged that prices are 25 per cent
higher here. 1t is suggested that this
committee be enlarged to include
members from Burke Mullan and
Kellogg. and that due publicity be
given to its findings i'm each commun-
itv Many people are convinced that
prices are entirely too high here in
many lines as compared with Spo-
kane prices. and this seems to be
borne out by an examination of the
market pages i'm the Spokane papers.
It is also frequently claimed that the
prices are higher i'm Wallace than in
Kellogg. and much higher in Burke
than i'm Wallace Since this investi-
cation has been started. it would
seem to be desirable to make it ex-
haustive and cover the entire district,
and thus settle the question for all
time. The report would probably
show that profiteering does not pre-
vail to the extent claimed, and not at
all in most lines. But it is probable
That some prices would be found too
high and they would be quickly re-
iuced when public attention is called
10 them with wages going down,
steps should be taken to see that liv-
ng costs are reduced and held down
% a fair basis
Second Cut in Wages
When the armistice was signed the
miners and muckers were receiving
i5.75 per day except in the Bunker
ill e Sullivan, where muckers re-
.eived $3.50; timbermen received
625; millmen and smeltermen receiv-
ID S5.75 and unsllled surface labor
eceived S5.25. This war scale of
wages was maintained by the mining
for a little more than two
ears after the war ended although
METAL prices had tumbled far below
he war level. On January 1. this
ear. considerable reduction in the
ost of living having become evident,
wages were reduced 81 per day, the
applying to all employees. In
he case of muclIers in all mines ex-
ept the Bunker Hill & Sullivan the
mt was $1.25 per day. thus bringing
II mines of the district to the same
wage basis that always had been
maintained at the Bunker Hill e Sui
ivan, that is, making the wages of
he muc1er 25 cents per day less than
he miner. The reduction now an
ounced fixes the pay of miners at
1925 per day, muckers S4 timbermen
AIS. millmen Si25. smeltermen s4
nskilled surface men s375
The Sliding Scale.
According to the sliding scale
dopted by the mining companies in
february. 1916 miners wages would
ave been $3.50 per day several
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