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Show MINERS OUT OF WORK. President Boyce of Federation Says Situation is Bad. Hundreds of miners are out of work all over the west because of the centralization of capital, according to Edward Boyce, president of the Western Miners' federation, who arrived in the city recently. Mr. Boyce is on his way home, after a three months' tour of his jurisdiction, and will remain here for a day to meet his wife, now on her way from a visit to her old home in Wallace, Ida. They will proceed to Denver together. Mr. Boyce has been visiting Montana, Mon-tana, Idaho, British Columbia, Washington, Wash-ington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Nevada, looking into the condition of the different unions. He returns with rather a gloomy view of the situation. "More miners are out of work than at any time before," he said yesterday. "It is even worse than 1893. The reason rea-son is the action of capital and the formation of the trusts. "Montana is dull because of the closing clos-ing down of so many copper mines by the trust. There are idle men everywhere. every-where. In the Coeur d'Alenes there is practically nothing doing. Only a few-mines few-mines are in operation and they are working, small forces. In British Columbia Co-lumbia practically all the mines have closed down, and the few working have small forces. This is largely due to .excessive treatment charges by the Smelter trust, although some of the mines have independent smelters. Washington, Oregon and California are dull. There is more activity around Phoenix than anywhere else I nave visited. "On the whole, I can't say that the prospects are encouraging, unless the policy of the financial powers is changed. They can improve conditions if they want to. and maybe they will conclude that they can make a few-dollars few-dollars in that way and accomplish it." Mr. Boyce said he found the unions in good condition. Colorado is the strongest in point of numbers, with Montana next. Arizona is as well organized or-ganized as anj-, but there are not so iiiiiici.i in mere as in some or the states, so the numerical showing is not so good. Utah has five unions-one unions-one each at Eureka. Bingham, Park City, Murray and Sandy. |
