äsiiJNomk Industkisit warm-u
Published Daily except Sunday
By Nome Mine Workers' Union, No. 240. International Union of Mine,
Mill and Sm eiter Workers.
JL
Subscription Price
Dae Tear __ — — —— — — — — —— —— — t*0-09
Mi Months______ —-— — *10.00
Oaa Month .— __ — — — __ — — — — — — — I 1-00
Entered as second class matter March 1. 1111, at the post OSes at
Homo, > Atassa, under the Act of March >, 1(71.
"To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as
nearly as possible, Is a worthy object of any good government."—
hbranam Lincoln
All changes in standing advertisements must reach thu ofllee at sli
O'clock each evening to Insure Insertion in the follovang Issue.
Advertising rates made know^ on application.
■a _
Address all Communications to Daily Nome Industrial Worker,
Bos 210 Nome, Alaska. Phone, Black IS*.
2.->. 1017.
Nome, Alaska, Septemle-i
i.(m \i \\
TIi- iirriv.il of many miners from
a varimj of camiis. having finished
work i >r the sumnn-r. is suggestive
of the fact that from now on until
Spring these will have no work to
do if ihev remain in the rountry.
Any question of local wages in
volves also the matter cf local con
ditions. The man who here gets
five dollars a day and beard has only
a short season in which to work,
and if in- remair. in in the camp
will consume the rest of the year
in eating up the balance which he
lies been able to save.
Hem in order to 1H here the
standard as paid is getting lower
end lowi r each year by virtue of the
fact that the pun lirs'ng powc; o*
the dollar has diminished more than
fifty per cent in the* meanwhile.
Seven y ars age the same identical
wagts has been paid .is is paid now
The price cf groceries has gone up
more than fifty tier cent. The price
cf coal lias risen from eighteen to
1 wenty-fiv; dollars a ton. Clothing
is dearer, shoes are dearer, rubber
goods are dearer. Wages are still
the same.
Now it is evident that them must
he sonic men retained in this camp.
The ditches have to he got ready in
the spring; dredges have to be
worked and repaired; alterations ot
one sort of another effect ad and if
th“ mining operators wait until the
opening of navigation they lose so
much of the short season that the
loss is very serious.
There is no mining camp in the
country where relatively less wages
is' paid than in Alaska is the gen
era! rule. They arc low wages ir
Juneau whore work is all the veal
round, they are low in Fr.irbanks
they are low in Nome.
The contention is made in favot
of Nome that the ground is low
grade. But it is evident that this
is merely a makeshift argu ment be
cause the richest companies pay nc
more than those which are pooresi
and whether there are three cenl
pans or one hundred dollar pans
the working man fare, r.o beH^r.
The fart is also to In r member
ed that the nc -. ommed-. lions pro
vided by even the best cf tlie mining
companies, and certainly by the rich
est of the mining companies are sued
as would not he offered to railroad
construction workers in the mosi
ephemeral camp of that type. Ever
companies which have bunkhouses
established with some degree of per
manonce fail to provide a.comoda
lions compatible with human decencj
There are no wash rooms, there ii
no drying room, there is nothing
but nigger heavened buiikliousct
whore the steam and exhalatior
from drying clothes and sweating
men stinks in a most intolerable
way.
Most of the comps are canatructec
on the principle that anything h
good enough for the working mat
and indeed anything is good cnougl
for men who will tolerate such :
loathsome "onditioti without pro
test.
The arguments used to accoun
for the inferior food that is pro
dueed for the benefit of the miner
are of a piece with the argument
used in the wages and general con
ditions. Freighting costs, difficul
ties in transportation and so fortl
are asked to condone the miserable
food that is placed before the men
But just as the richest camp
pay only the same rate of pay as th
lowest grade, so even camps whirl
have to pay the lowest freightlni
costs very often provide grub of th
slumgullion sort which often sicken
instead of nourishes the men whe
eat it.
Sometimes the blame for till
condition is laid upon the cook win
usually has graduated to the ex
tent of boiling water with some sue
eo3s when he styles himself a mull
igan artist. But the fact remains
that ti: t'nod is not fit for human
consumption when it comes from
the hand.- of these artists whose
long siiii is everything else but
cleanliness or < ulinary ability. On
the whole the conditions now ex
isting suggest only one alternative
and that is an increase in the sum
mer scale of pay and an improve
ment, a radical improvement in the
camp conditions.
This -ummer the outside condi
tions having improved there was a
marked absence of the rush of men
North that there was in former
years. There was more demand for
men. although there was less wage
working on the whole, than in other
years.
Never again will tlie workers ot
the North have such an opportunity
for bettering their condition or for
at least restoring tlie wages to the
former purchasing power.
They will lot do this by passing
laws which will be ignored. They
will not do this bv sitting and hop
ing that the boss will take a tumble
to himself and hand on a silver
platter the better conditions which
they so desire.
They can do this only in one
way and that is by organizing.
Tlie workers have tried almost
evervthing but that. Yet they
have before them the object lesson
tliiu were it not for the existence
of tlie Miners I'nion they would
be now working for little or no
thing. small and ail as is the rate
they are now paid.
But resolutely have a number ot
workers in this camp set them
selves to take the benefits which
the members of the miners union
by their organization have secured
without doing a thing themselves
to promote the benefit of the work
ers.
These unorganized mine\s will
join the fraternal orders and liana
themselves over wi ll badges ard
cables and links and pins and
chunks of brass. tokens of some
fraternal order, till their apparel
looks like the show window of a
a down town pawn office, but thei
will not join the union. .*nj thing
but that. They feel they will gel
the goods that the union struggles
for and they are too wrapped up it
themselves to do a hands turn to
wards helping tliemselv's by help
ing their fellow workers.
Still it is never no late, t’ighi
now opportunity for successful orga
nization is opened before the work
ers and with that opportunity a.
opportunity also for bettering all
workers.
It is no use peddling to ourselves
at all. The worker iu.iiviluaily
can do nothin.;. Individually he
gets r iktd fore and aft by joint agree
ment among merchants as to prices
r.nd joint agreenient among employ
cis as to wages.
the men who fleece them going
and coming are organized. The
workers are not and they get hand
ed something every time.
Why should not the workers stick
together? Why should they not
drop every petty difference. e\er>
personal matter and get in and get
together for the good of all?
Now as never before is the ac
ceptable time. Now as never lae
t'ore is the day of salvation. Not n
years was the way so clear and so
self evident and abundant'y mam
test. Every sign of the times, every
fact is our every day life, every con
diiton which we lace points witli
emphasis and directness which i
unmistakable to organization.
There is nothing the wo; leers in
this . -snip cannot accomplish
if they are organized. The." know
what they get when they are not
organized.
The wage scale, the camp conch
tions, the food, the warmth, eve: >
thing that human beings have ig
consider in this northern count.
can be met only by organization if
they are to be met efficiently.
It is high time that the workers
realized this. For years have some
been making common cause with
the boss to get a job. For years in
the meanwhile has the purchasing
power of the wages paid been de
creasing. They know this. They
couldn’t help but know it.
Let's turn around then and try
union solidarity. Try organization
and see how rapid will lie the re
sults. Try action by the workers,
of tho workers for the workers and
observe the great little tamp that
Nome will he for all concerned.
Those camps that say they c-an
I not afford to provide decent living
! conditions tor the workers because
their dirt is too low grade—let
them close down. Let the operat
ors operate them themselves. Le:
them exploit their own ground and
m-ke up for poverty of the gravel
out of their own hides. There is no
reason why the workers, year in
veer out, should condone the social
crime ot letting the bosses take it
out ot tlie workers' skins.
CKKT11M.Y < 'OKRUCT.
John Mitchell at the New York
| .State Federation ot Labor was cer
tainly correct when he declared
that “national strength depends
upon the fitness of our industrial
I army c(uite as much as upon the
fighting forces". Not only that
but it was accepted generally as
correct.
The soldie- gets good fosd, warm
clothing. good shoes and is pro
vided with every needed necessity
and in addition gets a certain
amount ot money over and above
that amount. He is insured. He
has before him in his old age se
curity if he does not fall on the
battlefield.
For the industrial army to get j
any or all these they have to be
continually fighting and struggling
and agitating and then they dont
get them.
Surely if the Mitchell statement
is correct and is believed, then the
nation would be well advised to sec
.hat the fitness of the industrial
army is not left entirely to the
chaotic struggle the workers have
presently to rely on .
LOCAL ITKMS.
Yesterday the Grand Jury met
at two o'clock after a sufficient
number had been drawn to fill the
panel required by law. Of those ,
who were drawn Bob James, Alti
mus, Harold Jensen and \V. Van i
derworkcr were excused as having j
served on Grand or Petit juries j
within two years. The petit jury i
was also filled by a number1 drawn
and will report this morning at J
ten o'clock.
• •
Sleeping Hags, Muck]inks, t aps,
Mitt “ns Overalls, .lumpers, I'nder
wear. Overskirts at HOLTS.
The huge oil tank, owned form
erly by the Associated Oil Co., and
now the property of the Alaska
Lighterage and Commercial Co.
sprung a leak yesterday and there
was considerable fear entertained
for a while that the contents would
become a total loss. The leak is
not believed to be of large extent
hut the oil flowed freely enough,
some of it reaching into Dry Creek.
The flat section of the government
road below tin) laundry and break
ing the otherwise steep hill was
dammed to retain the leaking crude
oil and in this manner quite a bit
was saved from flowing into the
creek Steps were taken to cement
the bottom where the leak oci urred
and it is believed that the trouble
will lie controlled without too much
difficulty. The tank is said to be
half full of crude oil and this re
duces the pressure which had the
tank have been full would have
resulted in tearing the break wide
open and prevented any chance of
the oil being saved. The leak oc
curred in some damaged plate in
the bottom of the tank. This tank
was erected several years ago by the
Associated Oil Co. which opened
up a business in this town. There
was quite a boom in oil at that
time owing to the shortage that
happened in the coal supply during
the winter. The company later sold
ou* to the John J. Sesnon Co. and
the Alaska Lighterage the new
name of the company now owns it.
Mining outfits dredge supplies,
granite sure, crockery ware, stoves,
heuters and ranges at HOLTS.
You’ll see it first in the Worker.
The Rose Candy Store And
Arctic Bakery
Agency for Augustine & Kyer Chocolates anil Bonbons.
The Quality of our Home-Made Candies and Nome Hairy Ice
Cream speaks for itself. Bread. Pastry and good Lunches.
WORKING MEN'S LUNCHES PUT UP.
| SUNBAYS AXI) WEDNESDAYS FRESH WHIPPED CREAM
| PUFFS. !
LARGEST RUBBER COMPANY IN THE WORLD)
ALL1
T
\ "CLOVER LEAF BRAND” l
RUBBERB00T5& PACS
^ & %.
> ARE NOW MADE BY,THE NEW VACUUM!
PATENT
PRESSURE1
PROCESS
>»
PATENT'
PRESSURE
‘ PROCESS
THOUSANDS of wearers after experimenting with^^C..
■I nUU3«l>IUO OTHER BRANDS HAVE COME BACK TO EUREKA S
GIVE THEM A TRIAL NEXT TIME^AND^YbULL^SOON*LEARN
y WHY THE OTHER FELLOW^SWITCHED BACK— £
At ALL FIRST-CL’ASS DEALERS
9 OVER • FIFTY-FIVE THOUSAND EMPLOYEES!*!
EVERYTH I N G|l N < R U B BER! Wif*
ALASKA STEAMSHIP CO.
S. S. VICTORIA
LEAVE SEATTLE: LEAVE NOME:
Via Seward, Valdez and Cordova
' , Without Additional Charge.
OCTOBER fl» OCTOBER 22.
SAILING SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
R. A. Carroll, Agent, Nome
From Nome.4^
Oct. 3rd
From Seattle
Oct. 15th.
LAST SAILING OCT. 25TH.
RIGHT RESERVED TO CHANGE THIS SCHEDULE.
PACIFIC STEAMSHIP CO.
ALASKA L. & C. CO.
AGENTS
At Dock.
F. J. O'CONNOR,
Commercial Agent.
Front St. and Steadman Ave.
•wntnHwmnnnmBBBBB
Charles L. Ross
Milling, Lumber, Contractor
HAVING TAKEN OVER THE FREIGHTING & TRANSFER
BUSINESS OF W. STEIGEL MAIER AND OF LEO KENT,
FREIGHT ORDERS AND TRANSFER CONTRACTS WILL RE
CEIVE PROMPT ATTENTION.
3RD AND B STREET. PHONE BLACK 162.
S. S. Standard
Sulls every SIX DAYS to
DIME AND WAY POINTS
weutker permitting
From Snake River.
CHAS WECKMAN.
INDEPENDENT
MEAT MARKET
W. B. Webb prop. Phone M.1B
FOR SALE
UNE 8 HI*. Corliss Kngine.
ON'K G HP. Kairbanks-Morse Kngine.
Alaska Lighterage Comercial Co.
THE NOME INDUSTRIAL WORKER
is prepared to handle
all kinds of
JOB PRINTING
Let us figure on your
work. Call up Black
134 or call at
THE INDUSTRIAL WORKER OFFICE
1