Arizona republican., 1921-09-05
UNION LEADERS URGE COLORADO
 MINERS NUT TO. WORK AT WAGE
 SCALE OFFERED
Mine Operator States No Attempt Will Be Made To Open Mines Where Cut Rejected
TRepubIican A. p. Leased wire1

WALSENBURG, Colo, Sept. 4. = Organizers of the United Mine Workers were at work today in the coal camps of Huerfano and Las Animas counties urging the men not to work at the reduced scale of wages put in effect at several of the Colorado Fuel and Iron company's mines last Thursday and which re- suited in a virtual walk-out of all workers from these mines.
 Predictions were made tonight by union officials that when the com pany attempts to reopen it's mines Tuesday morning there would be no men available.
 E. H. Weitze1. general manager of the Colorado Fuel and Iron company, announced yesterday when he was here that none of the mines where the employees had voted against the wage reductions, which approximate 30 per cent. would be operated.
 There is a shortage of orders, he said, and the only attempt to fill such orders as are on hand will be made at the mines where the cut has been accepted.
 Unless there Is a reduction of the miners wage, mines of the Colorado Fuel and Iron company will probably be unable to operate, Weitzel stated. The higher cost of coal in this ter ritory. as compared with the Collins vile field in Pennsylvania and the AIingo field in West Virginia was re- sponsible for the closing of the steel mill of the Colorado Fuel and Iron company at Pueblo, according to Weitzel.
 Most of the coal mined in the Trinidad field. in Las Animas county 1>- -usI s,f fIe,r rrp avax S- steel plant. The reductions as an nounced by Weitzel are from S7.75 to SIPS a day for day men; $1.02 to 7S cents a ton for pick miners; 20 cents to I5 cents a ton for machine miners and from 77 cents to 5S cents for loaders.
 Reductions of 20 per cent are pro posed for dead work, consisting of all sorts of odd jobs about the mine and for which the rates of pay vary according to the nature of the work.
 Union leaders declare that the cuts would put the miners pay down to a bare living wage and would not per- init them to accumulate for the periods when the mines are closed.
 To this objection, General Manager Weitzel proposes steadier work, de- claring that with cheaper coal 1t would be possible for the Colorado Fuel and Iron company to get more orders. However, no guarantee of any kind is offered by the company along this line.
 From the payroll of the Walsen mines. Weitzel quoted wages made by some of the miners. During July, the latest month available, one ma chine miner earned $47S for 20 days work. according to figures taken from this payroll. Other figures gave s452 for machine miners. Two pick miners earned s27S during the same period. Four loaders earned s257 S2SS, s30S and $230. These figures were admittedly the best of the more than 500 miners then employed at the Walsen camp.
 The average wage for pick miner. in this camp during July was $9.2. a day, according to W. S. Getchel superintendent of the Walsen mines.
 Records of the state coal mine in spector show that during July tn, Walsen mine worked 19 days. Ac. cording to these figures the ayerag, earning for pick miners at this min, during July would have been s17556
 Union officials say the earning o day men at the $7.75 scale wa s147.24. Under the proposed scale these same day laborers would hav earned $99.75 during July, according 10 flSuTeS or union Oftlc1alS. NJ average earnings for machine miner and loaders were made public by Nil Getchel He said that average dail earnings had been figured only fo the pick miners.
 Records from the office of the stat coal mine inspector show that at te of the Colorado Fuel and Iron com panies mines the average number c days worked during July was IA varying from 9 days at the Leste mine in Huerfano county, to II day for the Frederick and Primero mine in Las Animas counties, and 10 day al the Ideal mine. near here.
 On this basis. union officials poiu out men would earn an average i the ten mines under the reduced seal of only S7S.75, while those in the tw mines that worked only II day
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