Montana labor news., 1937-11-04
ANACONDA COMPANY SHOULD TAKE
SURPLUS WEALTH TO keep Mines Open
People Will Not Tolerate Cal
loused Layoffs.

A pamphlet is being circulated
around the streets of Butte calling
attention to the increased unemploy-
ment occasioned by men being let
out from work at the mines.
While the Silver Bow Trades and
Labor Council has not expressed any
definite opinion in relation to the
closing down of some of the mines,
nor has the Miners Union, neverthe-
less, this pamphlet is so pertinent
and is SO expressive of the feeling Of
the people of this community that a
part of it is being herewith reprint
ed. Many guesses and causes have
been assigned to the recent decline
in prices in the stock market. Not
a few people allege that the layoffs;
the stock market debacle is a con-
certed, deliberate, and malicious at
tempt to discredit President Roose-
welt and the Democratic administra-
ton, by the powerful financiers and
corporations of the United States. If
this is so, the working people should
rise up and express their indignation
and their determination that the
corporations shall not embarrass the
great man in the White House.
Of course any amateur student of
economics must realize that with the
small wages paid to the farmer and
to the working people and their ire
mendous capacity to produce wealth,
combined with the speedup system,
that a panic cannot possibly long be
averted. Profits of the corporations
in 1886 and 1887 rose prodigiously,
but wages increased very little; this
situation creates an unbalanced
economy. If the people are not Civ
en- sufficient wages to buy back the
articles which they create in in
dustry, how is it possible to prevent
the market from being glutted. That
is what causes panic, and that is
exactly what is happening.
Extracts from the dodger referred
to above are as follows:
1900 men were laid off by the Ana
conda Copper Mining Company in
the week of October 24-29. A TWEEN
ty-five cent per day wage cut went
INTO force for those still working.
There is "over-production."
Without an hours notice, without
warning Of any kind, with no chance
given to prepare for the dark days
of unemployment, 1900 men-with
their wives and families numbering
5000 people-were thrown out of
work, their wages-their only source
of income-cut off, were tossed back
like so much waste into the rapidly
growing army of 10000 900 jobless
in the U. S.
The Anaconda Copper Mining
Company, in the first six months of
this year, made a net profit of $780,
000,00 in round figures. This was
a 229 per cent increase over the net
profit in the same period of last year.
With the contract system, with
ever more efficient labor ~displacing
machinery, with the speedup carried
on to the constant shift boss yell of
rock in the box" the A. C. M. has
been forcing miners to dig them
selves out of jobs. 1900 jobless
miners-one-fifth of the entire work
ing f&orce--is the first result.
The A. c. M. with other big cop
per companies, has agreed to cut
production from 20 to rs per cent
and lay off enough men to effect this
reduction. Not the A. c. M. and its
monopoly capital associates are to
bear the burden of this reduction
but miners and smelter workers.
Wages for 1900 miners at the pres
ent rate of $3.50 amounts to $8,250
per day. 300 days-a working year
means $2,475,0 900 in wages for these
1900 miners. A. c. M. net profit for
first six months of l937-$20,0 O0, 900.
Subtract $2,475,0 900 from $40, OO0,-
000--there is still left a net profit
of SIT, 1000 for six months of A.
&c. M. operations. The company
would also have the gold, silver, lead
and copper produced by these 1900
men-adding this to its net profit.
Gold, silver, lead and copper do not
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