The diamond drill., 1922-01-07
INDICATIONS POINT TO CONSIDER
ABLE BUILDING NEXT SEASON
MINES WILL RUN MODERATELY
agricultural Development vii
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Than Ever Before

The first question that comes to
one as he stands on the threshold
OF 1922 Is II wonder what kind OF
year we are liable to have" The
business journals, financial and
manufacturing leaders all say that
1922 is going 70 be good year. OF
course. they guess wrong lots OF
times and many OF their prophesies
are manufactured 10 bolster up poor
business conditions SO that one must
discount these prophesies to great
er or less degree in drawing personal
conclusions.
II seems TO be quite evident that
business is not going TO be worse
nor as bad In 1922 as II was In 1921
How much better II will be depends
q great deal upon how completely
and how soon the business men OF
the country get the high price mania
incuioated during the war period
out Of their systems.
Certain basic facts cannot be ig-
nored. One OF these facts is that the
producer OF raw material Is not get
ting what his product should bring
in order 10 make ends meet. The
farmer especially. is hard hit and
his buying power violently reduced
Another fact that must be taken
into constellation Is that wages are
low, much lower than fair ratio to
living costs would establish. With
this abnormal wage reduction comes
a violent contraction OF buying pow
er on the part OF the wage Garner.
A consideration of these two con-
ditions alone brings one TO the con-
clusion that either of two things
must happen--wages and raw mater
ial prices must go up or living costs
and finished material come down.
The extent OF the prosperity of 1922
depends upon the adjustment between
these two factors.
VIII Low Wages Stayl
Those who skim over these funde-
mentals hastily say that wages and
prices generally will increase others
who study the conditions carefully
and reason from all attendant cir
circumstances say that low wages
will remain and costs OF living must
come down and will come down be-.
fore there IL going to be any percept-
ible prosperity.
Surface wages at the mines are
today based on $210 scale, "a cents
per hour for 10 hours. Most men
work hours. Wages underground
are based on $500 day for eight
hours in wet places. which means
s2.SS i'm dry places. Almost all Of the
men now al work are drawing that
wage, there being less than a dozen
men on the surface rate at the mines
working In Crystal Falls.
The Bristol mine which has been
operating on a $500 minimum on
part time basis. had not changed its
base Jan. 1st. but we are advised
from the local Office that the prob
abilitlen are drop TO the Mckinney
steel scale will be made II provision
can be made to work the force now at
work on full time basis A pee
time basis on the lower wage would
mean almost nothing to men.
Thus, Il can be seen that before
this month Is out all mining wages
will be on 2l cent and 80 cent basis
for surface and underground wages
respectively.
Woods wages were established az
s26 maximum over month ago and
while there is some variation the
bulk OF the woods workers are being
paid on that basis
lnquiry made OF almost all en-
psoycrs In this and surrounding ter
ritory has been made as 70 the prob
abilities az to future wage and We
6na that there n a concensus Of
opinion that wages viii 20 higher In
the spring provided there Is sush &
recovery IN the demand for products
as will call for the operation OF
Gal two
plants TO care for new business. In
other words. II there Is any appreci-
able demand for ore and forest pro-
ducts IN the spring there viii be
an increase otherwise there will b.
\ none.
I. How Great VIII II Bel
Tho next important question then
IA ~ 10 the probable size Of the In
cfeaee. The major portion Of replies
are that Il will be somewhere about
X cts per hour for surface and 10 CT
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