TRI-WEEKLY
Published Tuesday. Thursday,
and Saturday.
By Nome Mine Workers’ Union, No. 2-10, International Union of Mine,
Mill and Smelter Workers.
Subscription Price
One Year . $20.00
Six Months . 10.00 |
One Month . 2.00
“To secure to each laborer tli» whole product of his labor, or as
nearly as possible is a worthy object of any good government.”—Abra
ham Lincoln.
All changes In advertisements must reach this office before 9 A. M.
on day of publication to insure insersion in same issue.
Advertising rates made known on application.
Address all communications to Tri -Weekly Nome Industrial Worker.
Box 210, Nome, Alaska. rhone, Black 134.
Entered as second class matter March 1, 1911, at the post office at
Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
NOME, ALASKA TUESDAY, MAY, 14, 15)18.
MR. WORKING-MAN
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Join the Union and assist in the
enforcement of the eight- hour law.
Do this, and Judge Bunnell’s
opinion on the question will not be
worth the paper it is written upon.
A FEW REMARKS IX REFER
ENCE TO THE EIGHT HOUR
LAW, ETC.
The most essential question which
confronts the wage-workers through
out Seward Peninsula today, is
the enforcement of the eight hour
law.
The large vote which was cast at
the Territorial Election held in No
vember 191G, was overwhelmingly
in favor of a general eight hour
law for all wage-workers through
out the Territory of Alaska.
Subsequently the Alaska Legisla
ture in regular session assembled
at Juneau during the Months ot
March and April 1917. almost unan
imously passed a Bill limiting the
hours to eight, which any wage
worker could be employed withil
each calendar day.
On March 23rd 191S, Fodera
Judge Charles E. Bunnell, of tile
District Court at Fairbanks handed
down an opinion in which he de
clares it is unconstitutional. It i;
a lengthy decision. He also give*
it as his opinion that it is a “Class'
legislation and void.
The following quotation is
from the Alaska Daily Empire
of February 2 8th, 191S.
Fairbanks. Feb, 28—(Special
to the Empire)—Federal Judge
Charles E. Bunnell has sus
tained the demurrer of the
Northern Commercial Company
and rendered a decision, de
claring the Alaska eight hour
law unconstitutional, as follows.
’I am satisfied beyond all
doubt that Chapter 55. Session
Laws ,1917, is plainly and palp
ably beyond all question in
violation of the Fourteenth
Amendment of the Constitu
tion of the United States.
“I am also of the opinion
that it is a class legislation
and prohibited by the Organic
Act.”
The findings have been repeated
to the Attorney General and will
not be appealed unices authorized
The. opinion rendered by the
Judge is lengthy and wide in its
scope.
The present case calling for the
decision was rendered in favor oi
the plaintiff and the eight-houi
law upheld before the United States
Commissioner, and then was appealed
to the District Court.
(In passing along we’ll cheer
fully admit, apparently, there seems
to be. at least one U. S. Commis
sioner within the Territory who is
not subservient to th ■■ ‘‘interests’’
which are detrimental to the work
ing-class.)
Regardless as to whether or not
the eight-hour law is constitutional,
■or unconstitutional, it is entirely
up to the working-class to enforce
it. The most effective way to do so
is to organize and stand solidly
united, by so doing, it will be dem
onstrated that Bunnell’s opinion per
taining to the eight-hour law (ot
the opinion of any political misfit)
is not worth the paper it is written
upon.
The following resolution has beei:
adopted, and is now in effect by the
Nome Mine Workers Union No. 240
I. U. of M. M. and S. W.
To-wit—Bo it Resolved—thai
$5.00 and board for an eight-houi
work-day. also recognition of tht
Union shall go into effect on and
after May 1st, 1918, for all labor
performed in and around, open cuts
dredges, roads or any other work
which can be considered as mine
working cr beneficial thereto.
The rate is the same as establish
ed heretofore, that is to say five
dollars per day and board.
It is of course none too much.
Never yet, was the scale that has
been paid in mining camps any
more than, taking all things into
consideration, was sufficient to keep
m:n alive.
"Andrew Carnegie said that the
greatest discovery of his life was
that he never could get rich work
ing for wages.” Yet in spite of
Andy and his philosophy which is
evidently true enough, we know,
and every economist teaches that
labor creates all wealth:
Labor applied to machinery and
natural resources is the only pro
ducer of values, and what Andy’s
statement amounts to is that the
workers do not get their share of
the produce of their labor—the
man who employs them does that.
The fact is that because the work
ers' labor is profitable to the em
ployer that is why they are hired.
When the work is not profitable
to the boss, or when he can get
some more effective profit-producer
he cans the worker. Wo all know
that; it is a universal experience of
wage-workers. The boss is never
too generous. The relation between
him and "the hands” is an abso
lute cold-blooded proposition
oven in the camps where the old man
drops into the bunk house of a
night and cracks some ancient joke
about somebody or something and
every sucker In the bunch likes to
break his fool heart a-laughing
at the funny man.
The boss is after the profits that
he can wring from the hide of the
worker. It is a business preposi
tion purfc and simple. So too with
the workers it ought to be with
them a business proposition that
they g t just as much for their
work as they can. They can do it
too. They can also enforce the
eight-hour law. But it is net by
running around the boss and pull
ing strings and hunting influence
J for a job that will last long in the
camp. It is by organization and by
organization alone.
The workers can by uniting with
themselves easily improve their con
ditions when they resolve to work
to that end. All other means are
moonshine.
The boss is a business man. His
interests are not the same as those
whom he employs as far as the
wages are concerned.
The relation of employer to la
borer is not based upon any senti
mental, but upon business reasons.
Tlu-y will toll you that themselves?
They have with the worker nothing
in common. The boss will ray th:-,t
“I want my men to do a good day’s
work—that is all that concerns mo.”
And tho workers are fools if they
also on their side just as long as
they have to work for wages do not
say that they want all they can
g> t and mere.
The boss broadly speaking has
the whip hand. He owns the job.
He owns the mines and the ma
chinery.
Some employees after they have
been on the job a while think they
havo some sort of a proprietary
Interest In those things too. But
they have none. They find It out,
too, mighty quick when they start
any shenanigan that won't pay on
the works. They simply make
room for another man.
It is about time that the workers
^ placed some reliance upon themsel
ves and start in in earnest to get
better wages and shorter hours.
There is no reason in the world why
they should work eight hours in
quartz mines and in government
positions and ten or more in placer
mines, on dredges or anywhcre-else
where labor is employed. ,
The reason they have been do
ing so i3 because they have relied
upon a legislature which is at
tached to the interests of the boss
es. If they rely upon a labor
organization of their own they
would not be subjected to any of
these disappointments.
And that is the whole secret. Or
ganization is a vital necessity to
the workers. Every benefit that
has "accrued to the working-class has
come through organization. Let
anyone name a well organized in
dustry and it will be found to be
one wherein better conditions of
labor, better wages are paid than
that wherein no union exists.
Organlzrtion controls the indus
try.
Mining is the same way. Condi
tions should be bettor.
There is absolutely nothing in the
world which can prevent the work
ing-class from bettering their condi
tion when they become thoroughly
organized.
“United the workers can easily
resist oppression. Divided they are
easily suppressed. (The old slogan
is, United we stand. Divided we
Fall.)
Local corporation representatives,
also a. few ^redgemen and their
marionettes are meeting with but
very little success in attempting to
persuade the wage workers of this
community to go to work in viola
tion of the obligation which they
have taken to vigorously assist in
the legitimate enforcement of the
eight hour law as well as the rest
of the Nome Mine Workers Union
demands.
One of the hardest problems for
the' workers to solve is the rapid
decreasing purchasing power of the
dollar. It is no myth. It is one
of the hardest facts with which the
workers have to contend. It stares
them in the face when they part
^vith a dime, a quart?r cr a dollar.
It is not what it was when the
five dollar scale was set several
years ago. It has not the same
purchasing power. That ought to
be remedied. It can only be reme
died by an increase in wages and
that in turn can only be accomplish
ed by the workers getting together
and organizing right for more.
The boss will probably give the
stars the bad eye—but with a
strong organizaton they will have to
contend with an all star aggregation
and they will find it impossible
but to concede higher wages, as
well as whatever hours the organi
zaton may set which shall consti
tute a days work to meet the needs
of the case. Organization should
then be the watchword of all work
ers and the enforcement of the
eight-hour law is assured.
The U. S. Government employees
have "long ago” been granted the
oight-hour work-day. The workers
in other industries have practically
established a general eight-hour
work-day throughout the entire
country.
"Mr. Working Man—Organize
and you will also be able to do
likewise in Alaska.”
At a special meeting of the Nome
Mine Workers Union held Friday
May 10th, 1918, the following Res
olution was adopted, To-wit:
Be it Resolved—That we, the
Nome Mine Workers Union, No.
240 I. U. of M. M. and S. W. are
emphatically opposed to any mem- :
ber of said Union, entering into a
contract of any description what-so
ever with any mine operator, or with ■
any person who is considered unfair
toward Organized Labor.
Be it further Resolved—That the
Union is strictly opposed to any of
the members thereof, going to work
for any person who may take a
contract to clean out ditches, sluice
dumps, etc, or hire out to perform
any other kind of labor, which may
have a tendency to defeat, _ or
weaken the aims of the enforce
ment of the Union’s demands, which
are as follows. $5.00 and board per
day for eight hours work, also
recognition of the Union. Any per- <
son violating the aforesaid Resolu
tion, will be considered unfair to
wards Organized Labor.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
In the Probate Court for Cape
Nome Precinct, Territory of Alaska:
Second Division.
In the matter of the Estate of
Garibaldi, Fillipo, deceased.
Notice is hereby given by the
undersigned, administrator of the
Estate of Garibaldi Fillipo, deceased,
to the creditors of, and all persons
having claims against, the said
deceased, to exhibit them, with the
necessary vouchers, verified as re
quired by lawn within rix months
from the date of this notice, to the
undersigned, administrator, at the
office of J. F. Hobbes, at Nome,
Alaska.
Dated, May 14tli, 19IS.
Joseph Firenje
Administrator.
An entrains o Modini’s Lunch
Counter from the street is one of
the latest lnprovements of that
well known cafe.
GET THE NEWS RIGHT READ
THE WORKER.
|Miners and Merchants Bank!
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NM«M« »•«•*••« •••••••••••••••• ••»••••• *»••••••
Nome, Alaska
Capital $100,000.00
Workingmen’s Accounts Solicited.
■+*++*•^+*****+*+*******+*+1 ***********+***+**********
*+*-***+*■*<*-***»<*******V**** *******************+*+***♦
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! Milo’s Cafe !
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OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
NEXT DOOR TO PACIFIC COLD
STORAGE COMPANY
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DO YOU WANT TO ECONOMIZE?
Buy a Lang Range, or Coles Heater and save
1-3 your coal bill
CARLETON HARDWARE CO.
Sie Promt It Pboaa Mala 11.
This space reserved by
Cm Wm Lewis
-Formerly Delbar’s store—
The place where you can
reasonably buy anything
from a needle to an
anchor
Charles L. Ross
Milling, Lumber, Contractor
HAVING TAKEN OVEK THE FREIGHTING & TRANSFER
BUSINESS OF \V. STEIGELMAIER AND OF LEO KENT,
FREIGHT ORDERS AND TRANSFER CONTRACTS WILL RE
CEIVE PROMPT ATTENTION.
3RD AND B STREET. PHONE BLACK 162.
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Nome Bakery
Victory
BREAD
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Conforming to orders of Food Administrator; on sale at all tint'
WE RECOMMEND OUR SPECIAL HEALTH BREAD FOR!
FAMILY USE
W c guarantee the best cup of coffee in town
We serve Hot Cake, Ham and Eggs etc. frovti 7 1. M. to 1 P. M.j
Clinches from 13 Noon to 7 P. M. Eveny Day.
We are in business to satisfy our Customers.
JUUL & NELSON, Preprltors.jfj
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it When a fellow feels particularly fine he usually uses the *
J expression: Oh! I feel like “a two-year-old!” *
he can *
Y’know a two-vear-old is chuck full of pep,
and jump and can make the energy of Ajax look like a
tea dude suscumbing to a cigarette.
Aksala has all the pep that makes you throw out
chest and say: Gee Whiz—but I feel like atwo -year-old.
rear
pink
WE CARRY ALSO
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★
your ★
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ROOT BEER,
COCO COLA, GINGER ALA,
BAGLEYS APPLE CIDER, UNFERMENTED.
IOUS AND REFRESHING.
DELIC- *
★
★
★
★
The Nome Bottling Co.
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tstsgm
Buy Shoes
9. A. M. TO 6 P. M.
Help maintain fail working
hours for everybody
mmmammmmm—bbbmi—b mew
| North
Pole
| Bakery
| &Coffee
House
BREAD
15c. per It *f
2 Loaves 25c.