The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-04-28

with whom the miner deals. especially
fluence over him. The miner has re-
spect for his opinion. and IL that can be
swerved to favor the union SO much the
better for continued unionism.
Over store counters the union mis-
sionaries now are trying to bring into
line these sages of Boswell and the
other towns of the captured non-union
terrain. 1t Is a fascinating process to
watch--the steps b y which the union.
after long tapping at the door and
many rebuffs. finally gets into such a
town, pulls out the miners. signs them
UP, gets their fifty cent initiation fee
and then starts in not only to hold and
consolidate the hard won ground. but
to change the attitude of the whole
community.
The population OF Boswell Is about
1000 1t IS not the bleak and frowsy
mountainside Camp that many colliery
settlements are, but 1t would never win
a prize in Garden show. It's principal
street is bumpy mass Of hardened mud.
Town II TreeIess.
Some of the dwellings are comfortable
enough as miners houses go, and some
have little fences In front. but the town
is mostly treeless. CRASHES and I'M
kempt. There are six churches-"three
for Americans. three for foreigners" a
miner said. There is no library. Ac-
cording to the miners, they never heard
Of the coal companies suggesting such
an innovation.
''The borough talked of having one
four or five year ago." miner said.
"but somehow it fell through, and it
hasn't been mentioned since"
The correspondent went into row
of two story brick company houses"
occupied by striking mine motorman
and his family. native Pennsylvania
stock. Faded scraps OF paper that once
covered the walls OF the kitchen were
peeling therefrom. The motorman had
not come back from the meeting. His
wife and mother sat by the kitchen stove
which was large. adequate coal range
Two little girls with rudy, mud smeared
cheeks hung close to them. There was
another large stove in the dining room,
whose furniture-table chairs and side
board-were cheap but serviceable
golden oak. The outside chill did not
penetrate the house, and the family
seemed to have no complaint except that
the company ought to paper its houses
once in while.
The rental is $3.50 a month. The
company could have Cancelled the lease
five days after the strike began but no
attempt at dispossession has been made
In Boswell.
Another motorman said the miners
went on strike because their wages had
been cut and working conditions altered
The motorman was reduced from $3.50
to $40 day; the miner from S1.1S
to $1.01 ton. The motorman said he
and the others had an eight hour day
but to put In eight hours he had TO
leave his home at 5 as o'clock in the
morning and got home at AS in the
afternoon. The men think the COM
pany ought to pay for either the time
spent in getting to work or the time
spent in getting home.
The miners also demand they be paid
for dead work." as they were until a
few months ago. and they want the old
scale of wages restored. although pri-
vately they admit they do not expect 20
get all of 1t back even IL with Their
help the union wins the strike.
The company delivers coal at the
miners houses for $3.50 ton. The
houses have running water-50 cents d
month.
When the meeting in the nicleodecn
broke UP the miners talked quietly in
groups in the street. They looked this
way and that as IL they expected an
onslaught from deputies or mine police.
but nothing happened. Those TO whor
the correspondent spoke assured him. n
many varieties of English. they werc
enlisted for the war and would not quit.
Shopkeepers stood at their doors
silently taking in this still novel spec
tacle Of hardshell non-union miners dts
persing from a union meeting, and to
all appearances not n soul In Boswell
was disposed to bother them. And this
is a town where less than three weeks
ago organizers of the United Mine
Workers we're headed out by deputies
as fast as they came In, and where in
other years union organizers have not
dared to go at all.