Show THE MINE HELP PROBLEMS since the first of september pr practically all of the mining camps of the west have raised the scale scald of wages about a day there still is a great shortage of skilled miners and in some of the camps of utah nevada idaho and montana it is reported that men are being coaxed from the farms and ranches to learn the miners trade and that is a good idea for there is no question but what the war strikes and closing down of many mines as a result of the low price and lack of markets for the metals has permanently manent ly thinned the ranks of competent hard rock miners machine men and muckers duckers muc kers the older miners who have gone into leasing farming ranching and stock raising can not be depended upon to return to their jobs no matter how attractive the wage scales may become they have served their time tile and naturally want no more of it so the mine operator now must recruit his forces from other sources ani and as that can not be done in a day or a week or a month the probabilities are that it will be some time before the production of cop per lead silver and other metals will attain normal proportions metal mining methods have undergone a most radical change during the past few years so much so that the old time miner no longer meets the requirements of his profession fes sion the work of metal mining and milling millina b also for that matter through the application of modern devices is becoming more technical and mechanical all the time and the day seems to be close at hand when men and companies operating on extensive scales will be compelled to provide means of training and schooling new men in the business if successful operations are to be carried on in a great many lines of manufacturing t this system of securing b competent help already has been resorted to with great success there is no reason apparently why the mine mine and nd mill operator can not adopt the plan with correspond corre corresponding spon I 1 i na success we have hav schools and colleges which are constantly 13 1 graduating graduation 3 b minin mining b mechanical and metallurgical b engineers of ability but it is only a small percentage of these who are willing to accept subordinate jobs most of them are men who seek positions rather than jobs those who are willin willing b to enter the rank and file division and await the opportunity to land a position are few and far between most of them will forsake the profession for which they have been trained in college rather than do so so it seems imperative that a means of making competent workmen out of raw recruits is the only real solution of a vexing question for the mine operator |