The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-29
WORKER SHOWS
CONDITIONS IN
MINING CAMPS
Bosses Ride Roughshod
Over Coaldiggers
BY JAMES ADAMS.
Worker Correspondence


Your stories in The DAILY WORK
Err, which l am reading every day
since l am in Chicago, are the only
ones that interest me. It is the only
paper that awakens my interest. !
don't care for the papers the ''rich
boys" put out.
Beg Job in Mines.
used to work in the anthracite
mines. am a miner and was mem
Der of the United Mine Workers, Lo-
cal No. 1892. The way the bosses
want you to ask for a job is some.
thing like this: Please, Mr.. Boss,
have you got a job for me?" and the
best way you can get a job is to take
off your lid and get down on your
knee and pray to him and then he
might lower himself to answer: "Al.
right, come down tomorrow morning
and l will show you some good
places"
Oftimes there are now places start
ed and or 20 miners hired there
already, who have had to beat it be-
cause they could not make more than
$3.50 to $500 a day and then the
danger was too great in those places
Work Long Hous, Small Pay.
am single but l will tell you
story about poor miner in whose
company-owned house was living for
year. This miner has children /;
3 boys and girls. The boys are
all married. He has the six girls
left in the house. Two of the girls
are working, making from $40 to S12
a week. The father is miner get.
ting s6.15 day. He gets up in the
morning about half past five and
about five at night he was back home
When the father was not at home al
five or half past five, the family was
overjoyed, because it meant sixteen
hours for that day at straight pay
If the poor fellow did not want ia
work the or z hours of the next
shift, he was told "get the hell otf1
of here, If you don't like it," because
there were others waiting outside for
the job, but 1--WE gave you the chance
because you were married" His pay
averaged about $3.50 for halt
months time, when there were not
too many holidays. Out of his pay
there goes $1.92 carfare, IS for coal
and So for house rent. This miner
thus makes about $50 every half
month.
When shoes or clothes are needed
in the household they have to depend
on the girls. This miner is a lucky
bird because he's got two girls work
ing in the family.
Works in Freight House.
/ was working in the Pennsylvania
freight house at 323 Polk street and
about twelve days ago, l got hurt by
one of the trucks there. They dress
ed up my foot a little and told me |
could go. Three fellows looked
straight at me when | got hurt, but
when | came from the doctor" and
went to sort of clerk, he told me
to go after these fellows and bring
them up so he could get all the dope
on it. l had to go looking for these
fellows in spite of my smashed toe.
even tho told him who the fellows
were. When l went downstairs look
ing for these fellows, they said they
didn't see me get hurt. | begged
one of these fellows to go up with
me and he only did so by order OF
the boss there.
Then | went outside and waited
half an hour for a taxi in the cold.
| told the clerk inside that l was NOT
able to walk with a smashed toe.
60 on" he said, "are you man?
Do you weaken so quick?" just
thot ito hell with the whole bunch
The working class is certainly get
ting it laid onto them.