Show THE STRIKERS ARGUMENT The Side of the Minors Union Presented by the Secretary Editor HERALD I appreciate the kindly spirit shown in your editorial headed Poor Prospects in last Fridays issue Being on the ground and seeing the class of men brought here I know that the places of the men who went on strike are not being filled except in the sense that the places of bricklayers or masons would be filled by the laborers who attend them Few builders can be found who do not prefer these laborers to others who have no ex periancein the work It is a great mistake mis-take to suppose that a laborer can in ashore a-shore time take the place of a miner anymore any-more than he could that of a mechanic and it is costly to those who try ita The present case is by no means an exception It is true that money lost in a strike to maintain wages is lost if the strike fails but not if it wins The strikers have not been unwilling to discuss dis-cuss the difference existing between them and the company on its merits They have offered to accept a reduction of one half the amount proposed by the company com-pany have submitted for consideration a sliding scale and made other propositions proposi-tions but without avail Surely they have some right to say what their labor is worth There has not been so far any case in which any families even of nonunion men have been famishing True there has not been anything near the comfort enjoyed while earning full wages That could not be reasonably expected It is claimed that with the present employees the company is making a profit If so that is the best justification of the position posi-tion taken by toe Miners union who i were quite willing that the working force I should be reduced sufficiently to place the mine on a paying basis if as alleged it had been losing money But it was not In this the union is strong for what js right not for what is unjust or unreasonable unreason-able You say that sometimes it is impossible for labor to obtain its proper price What makes it so if not that it is considered unable to protect itself The Mammoth Mining company is a case in point Some of the directors believing labor to be in this helpless condition have endeavored to force a reduction similar to that made I by tha BullionBeck while others want I the old wages paid when work will be resumed re-sumed The last published report of that I company shows that with a 40stamp mill i and all the necessary accessories handling hand-ling 150 tons of secondclass ore daily a profit ranging between 250000 and 300 000 can be made annually for about ten I years All the profit on firstclass ore I lead and copper to be added Surely there is here no justification for a reduction in wages JOHN DUGGAN I Secretary of Miners Union |