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Show Abolition of "Rustling Card" I System and Guarantee Against Any Discrimination Asked. Owners State Many of Properties Are Being Operated on Present Scale Without Profit. Special to The Tribune. EL'UEKA, May 9. Miners of Eureka tonight decided to present demands for an increase of 75 cents per day in the wage scale, the abolition of the rustling-card rustling-card system and guarantees against discrimination dis-crimination by employers on account of organization affiliations of miners. These demands were decided upon at a meeting of 400 miners of the Tintic district held tonight at the miners' union hall in this city. The meeting was called by president Robert Adams.on of the local branch of the miners' union, and was attended by men from practically every mine in the district. Two thousand men are now employed in the mines and mills of the vicinity. COMMITTEE NAMED TO PRESENT DEMANDS. A committee of seven men was elected by the meeting to present the demands formulated to the mine operators and to direct any action to be taken by the miners. A local paper this afternoon, carried an announcement from the mine owners, which stated that many mines are now opeating without profit, and that the larger ones are operating at greatly reduced re-duced earnings as a result of the higher cost of operating, tho increase in freight rates and smelter charges and general expenses. These conditions, coupled with the low prices now prevailing for nearly all the metals, combine, according to the statement, to make it impossible for the miners to make any concession in wages. MAY CLOSE MINES IF MEN GO OUT. In the event of a decision of the miners to stop work on account of the refusal to increase wages, the statement goes on to say that ,ihe mine owners will hav3 iio other recourse than to close . the mines until such time as the men decide they are ready to resume work. President Adamson of the union presided pre-sided at the meeting. With one exception excep-tion the speakers were of the local district. dis-trict. The exception was a man who gave his name as 'William Welsh, who said that he wa? a member of the I. W. YV., whe had been sent down from Park City by the strike committee in that camp." This agitator stated that the strike at Park City had been put through beoau.se there ere G'iG members of the I. W. W. in that camp. This statement has been denied by other miners from Park City. Welsh, who ia believed to go variously under the names of Wells arid Willis, stated that the Prrk City strikers would be greatly disappointed wii h the slight demands of the Tndie miners. Ht. urged (Continued on Page li, Column 2.) INCREASE DEMANDED BY EUREKA Hp (Continued from Page One.) that they reconsider and ttemand tho six-hour six-hour day and other features of the Park City program. I. W. W. agents are now on their nay to both Arizona and Butte, , he declared. Union Head States Stand. President Adamson of tho union said after the meeting: "The committee has the backing of the miners of the district. dis-trict. I expect them to stay with this committee when they make their report tomorrow. I am in favor of the demands decided upon, and consider them to be reasonable." The increase in wages requested would put the scale back to where it was before be-fore the reductions were made by the mines of the state March 1. The present scale calls for $4 per day for muckers and $4.50 per day for machine workers and kindred labor. While Welsh was greeted with some applause upon his appearance, his remarks re-marks concerning the demands and his advocacy of the spread of I. V. W. doctrine doc-trine met with a cold reception from vt large majority of the men present at the meeting. Home Element Strong. There is a very strong element among the miners here who have acquired their homes and property, and a great many of them are natives of Eureka and neighboring cities. These men know tho conditions of the mines, and it is said that they will resist vigorously any effort ef-fort on the part of the I. W. W. to dominate domi-nate any program that may be adopted. The foreign element is comparatively small in the mines of the Tin tic district, 'and what there are of these men are, for the most part, of the floating population. While there are undoubtedly a number of professed I. W. W. in the camp, and many of these were present at tonight's meeting, it is believed that the conservative con-servative American element will predominate predom-inate in any situation that may arise. Eight Hours Underground. Demands of the miners include, in ad- edition to the wage increase and other stipulations, a provision that the men shall spend only eight hours underground. It is now the practice to start the descent into the mines at 7:30 and to begin bringing them up at 4:30. The miners wish to start the descent at 8 o'clock and have all men at the surface by 4:30, and allow half an hour for lunch, making it just eight hours of work underground. The entire program will be presented by the committee to the mine managements manage-ments individually. The committee will report back to the miners at a meeting in the Eureka miners' union hall tomor-; row night. If the demands are not complied com-plied with, the decision as to future action ac-tion will be made at this meeting. Some of the mine owners have expressed a willingness to meet with a representative committee to discuss possible questions of difference. |