The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-02-27
CENTRAL DISTRICT
MINERS
SUFFER SAVAGE
FIGHT FOR LIFE
Companies Attack AS
Union Weakens


In and around Christopher, ILL.,, the
Old Ben Coal corporation owns sew
eral large mines. No. 10, closed down
last December, after having worked
only two and one-half months during
the year 1924. No. ~ and No. IA are
working only two or three days a
week.
Mine No. IL has been closed down
for about two weeks. The whistle
hasn't even blown since the men run
ming the motors refused to continue
work under their present conditions.
1t has been the custom in all the
mines that when man gets job on
one territory, he was to remain there
as long as the territory lasted. But,
this company has put into effect the
practice Of shifting their men all over
the field so that they never know
from one day to the next where they
will be working This is the reason
for the motor men refusing to con-
tinue work.
A Fine Scheme.
However, the company was not sat
isfied with making the conditions
worse only in this way. But in an
attempt to prepare the ground for a
wage reduction, the company has Of
fered to start up the mine again if the
men will agree to go down at 500
a. M, and if they will go down thru
the air shaft, which has smaller
cage and would take more time to let
the men down. 1t would require two
hours to either let down or bring out
the 700 men working there. The men
would have to get up at about 400
o'clock in the morning in order to
be ready to go down by 500, and 1t
would be 500 o'clock before they
could go home in the evening.
AS to the conditions in the mine, it
is so filled with men that two men
can get only three or four cars a day,
many times less.
A 13-Hour Day.
It is such conditions as these that
the company is trying to force upon
the men, IS hours per day, from five
in the morning till six at night, and
this is being attempted in best organ
lied districts in the industry.
No. IL mine is a test case. If they
can put this over in one mine, it will
be put into effect in the others as
well as eventually forcing down the
wages. For altho the men may be
working 10 hours, the company will
protest that they cannot afford to
pay for more than eight hours work.
Once accepting the lowering of
these conditions, which the men at
tanned thru long years of struggle,
there is no end to the concessions in
wages and conditions that the COM
pany will force from the miners.
Unemployment Growing.
Conditions in the other parts of the
district are not improving, as shown
by the fact that within the past week
the following mines have closed
down; In Eldorado, five mines are
colsed down and one working; Coal
ton, closed down, leaving 900 men out
Of work; Kincaid Mine No. s closed
down, letting out 700 men; Nokomis
No. closed, 500 men out; on Feb.
IS, Klondike mine closed, letting out
$50 men. In Sub-District No. 4 of
District ~, II mines out of total Of
S5 have closed down. and the remain
der are only working part time.
This only touches the edges OF the
story, but is sufficient to give one a
birds eye view of the situation in the
coal fields OF Illinois. harrington and
the remainder of the yellow bellied
crew are helpless and hopeless.
dig more and cleaner coal" is Far
rington's answer to the men who have |
not dug ton Of coal in six months.
"Six hours work, four days per week"
naturalization of mines" "unem-
ployment insurance taken out OF the !
profits of the boss; such is the solu-
ton offered by the progressive miners
And according to the Lewis method |
of counting $4,000 CD miners voted |
for this policy. In reality it received |
majority vote.
We are reaching the crossroads, a
little more effort and we will replace
the Lewis-Farrington administration
with one that will fight in the interest
of the miners instead OF for the coal
operators.
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