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Show I , ' COAL MINERS' STRIKE : ,1 IN GARB3N COUNTY i A MENAGE, j ' Beneath the Outward Calm q j a Volcano of Violence J'fX Slumbirs. iS u Barons Say Strike Is Settled, H I Miners Assert That It ri T M til ' Situation in Ono of Utah's Greatest hM to Coal Mining Regions as Disclosed I jM tw hy an Investigation. B 'wi M W9 Special to The Tribune. ' HH oin TTX RICE. Utah, April 1. A stranser HflH at' Er visiting this county would find fSnpilfi It dlfllcult to imagine that it is "Brti! ' tne ccntcr ot a grout coal mln- ti 171 3i ers slri,t0- ln tne raL Place the mines yX 0 y ar0 "J1 ln opefatien, and thero arc no ? nci Bcenes of turbulence, f jj Tlio coal barons claim that the strike r jfB ,p settled; that tho miners' union has r 'm lost its fight. This claim qulokly falls under investigation. The Btrlkc is still on. It Is true the Stcto militia has been recalled, but the place of citizen soldiers has been taken by nrmed cuurds. Every train that runs on the coal branch roads carries one or more company com-pany guards, and persons who are not known and who cannot give a good account ac-count of themselves are not permitted In tho coal carapu. Day nnd night guards arc on duty around the workings of tho mines and at tho entrances to the camps. The maintenance of this special guard the company claims is necessary and if it was withdrawn they assert their property, consisting of costly buildings, hoisting plants and tram lines, etc., would be in danger of destruction at the hands'of agents of tht strikers. There seems no probability of a set-Ucmcnt set-Ucmcnt of the strike. Tho chasm be-, tween the union and the company Is too wide. What tho Fifty men in the Men "Paveral camps now Have to Say. "r ork were 'e,d If they earned fair wages. Not ono said that ho did not. One man who has for a "number of years been at work in the Winter Quarters Quar-ters mines said that during the month of February he earned on an average 55.20 a day. One young man who had .never mined coal berore thy striko said thnt after the first two weeks ho earned a little more than 54 a day. Two young men thought that they could earn on an uvcroge S3 a day: they said they had earned more than that, but that they would be safe in saying thoy averaged $3 a day. Three dollars was the lowest estimate crlven. When asked concerning their exponas ex-ponas of llvinpr, the men In every case said living is very high, and thev have to pay for powder and buy worlang tools. Many of the young men arc from the valley towns and nre not accustomed accus-tomed to a charge of more than 53.G0 a week for board, and $25 a month naturally nat-urally seems very high. Powder coats 52.50 a keg and a mau will uso from ono to two kegs a month, according to the j hardness of the coal. I Mr. Price, the union organizer, when Statement asked if he had any of the statement to mako concerning the a la-Organiser, la-Organiser, tus of the striko, replied: "You may say that I am entirely satisfied sat-isfied with the way the striko Is going." "How do you expect to win, when the coal company is working a full complement comple-ment of men and outputtlng the isual amount of coal?" "Tho company Is not producing the normal amount of coal; they nre not producing more than 35 per cent of the normal, and much of .what Is produced is unmarketable. A few days ago the Southern Pacific Railroad company turned back fifty cars of coal which the company is now arranging to burn into coke. It may be the coal company has a full complement of men, but they have very few coal miners, and we are perfectly satisfied to have the mines filled with farmers. Such men will do them, nnd are doing them, more damage dam-age than anything else could. Then, too, these farmers will soon be returning return-ing to their ranches; they"ro here only for a winter job." '"What demands of tho strikers has tho company failed to concede?" was asked. "Recognition of the union, I believe, Is all, and If properly understood, tho recognition of the union Is not such a great thing to concede. "It simply means that the coal company com-pany will have a committee meet with a committee of the miners union, agree upon a scale of wages and enter into a contract for a certain length of time." Averago Wage "What was the Before average wage thn i?Hk anade by the coal tho Stiike. rotors before lhe strlkj;?" "About $1.75 a day," ' "What is the average wage earned by the men now in the mine?" "Well, I've heard company guards and other claim the men are making from 52,75 to Jo a duy, but I am ready to bet $1000 that they are not averaging SI n day." "You say you are satisfied with the way the strike is going, but are the strikcra satisfied? Is It riot a fact, as reported, that many of the miners aro In need and are becoming discontented?" discon-tented?" "No; the miners are contented, and there is the best of good felling among tho men." "What allowance docs the union mako for the maintenance of the strikers?" "Each man gets 52 a week; the women wo-men get $1 each, and tho children 50 cents each." "Does that Include everything?" "No; that is for provisions. The union men are furnished rent money, coal and shoes In addition." Mr. Price claims that the union has gained about 33 1-3 per cent ln membership mem-bership since the first fow weeks of the strike, but admits that the "farmers" are not Joining the union, and that they do not want them to join. "They're 'farmers' and always will bo 'farmers.' 'farm-ers.' " The company officials claim that the Claims Made Strike. Is practically bv tho n thing of the past. Company. They th,e Strlk- ers are beaten. Asked what the average wage was before the striko, one official said that tha books in Clear Creek show that during the year 1S93 it was 53.74 a day, nnd that this included all men and boys lnrlde and out of tho mines. He said the boys were paid about -U.50 a day. which brought the average down considerably. The Clear Creek mines are recognized recog-nized as the best to work In, and th'o averago there would probably be higher than in the other camps. To the investigator it seems' that the strikers have much tho worst of the situation, but the fact that all Is not settled must not bo lost sight of. The company is being put to great expense In keeping a large force of guards constantly on duty at 55 a day and board, besides providing experienced experi-enced miners to go about tho mines glv- "g the now, Inexperienced men instructions. instruc-tions. The company is making ever effort to get "peaceful citizens to locate In the camps; thoy are offering a rate of one-half one-half regular fare for any married man lH who wishes to move his family to tho '1 camps, and they arc trying to allay tho I ;H feeling of unrest that exists among tho I H residents. H The strikers claim they can hold out j an Indefinite length of time, and will , H cause the company all the lnconve- H nience they can without overstepping: H the law. They seem perfectly satisfied that they will eventually be recognized by the company, but whether they H will or not time alono will tell. ' IH ONLOOKER. 'mM |