The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-22
By WILLIAM scHNE1DERMAN.

By WILLIAM SCHNEIDERMAN.
THE supply of raw material for the manufacture
of munitions in the United States depends to
a great extent on the metal mining industry
dron copper, and manganese ore) concentrated
in Northern Minnesota and the upper Michigan
peninsula 1t is not an accident, therefore, that
while huge stacks of iron ore are piling UP at
the mines, due to the sharp drop in steel pro-
duction, the mines are being kept in running
order, and even new shafts are constantly be-
ing sunk. The War Department sees to that
This in spite of the fact that it is estimated the
supply of ore on hand would normally last from
five to ten years At this moment the Newport
mine near Ironwood, is sinking new shaft at
record breaking speed, subjecting the men at
work to such terrific pace that they are driven
to exhaustion.
short time ago, the manganese mines at
Crosby and Ironton were practically shut down,
only out of 81 working. Today it is reported
that the manganese mines at Crosby have been
working full-time for more than month The
War Department has its experts working on a
new process, to more economically reduce high
grade manganese, essential for the manufacture
of steel, that the United States would not have
to depend on imports of manganese 'in case of
emergency" At the same time the government is
ment of inland waterways in the state of Mime
sofa, and additional millions on the lie harbors
of northern Wisconsin and Michigan to facih-
tate the transportation of war material
The conditions of the metal miners have been
steadily getting worse More than half of them
are unemployed, and most of the rest are work
ing part-time, averaging only about days a
month. The highest wage the copper miner re-
ceives today is $3.25 day, and usually less The
iron miners average less than 81 day Work.
ing only two days week, therefore literally
means starvation for even those miners who still
have jobs. Working II hours a day, miner
can make as high as s13 a week The speed-up
is SO intense, that many of the older mine, are
forced to quit working, as they cannot stand the
pace.
Wage-cuts are the order of the day In the
Newport mine, near Ironwood, the men received
cut of $3.50 on their days pay which resulted in
Spontaneous walk-out of three of the four shifts
in the mine, and part of the fourth shift as we'll
AS result of the mems protest, the company
was forced to reduce the wage-cut to only so
cents.
On the Mesaba and Vermillion Range, runors
are going around of a coming wage-cut in the
steel trust iron mines (Oliver Mining Company.
Inc NaClonSl Miners Union and the Party have
greatly increased their influence and following
in recent months in important mining towns like
Ely, Virginia, and Hibbing. The mine papers of
the Party, the Ely Miners Voice and the Agnew
Ore Digger, are very popular among the miners
The possibility of strikes against wage-cuts on
the Mesaba Range exists, and it remains for us
to prepare for these coming struggles and give
them correct leadership.
The same favorable situation exists in Michi-
gan. The capitalist press, for instance, reports
that the mining companies around Iron River
are opening up their mines on October to fur
nish two days week work to 11OO unemployed.
miners Jones g. Mclaughlin have not suddenly
become philanthropic. They frankly state that
they are doing this to forestall Communist ac-
tvites that is the struggle of the unemployed
miners for winter relief. What they fail to re-
port is that they intend to put over wage cut
on the miners under the guise of relief Their
acts Of charity" can further be understood from
the reports in the capitalist press that the Coun-
ty is buying machne-guns, tear-gas bombs, and
other riot equipment, lin order to deal with in
furiated mobs" The mine operators are having
nightmares of Infatuated mobs" that is thou
sands of miners demanding relief this coming