Michigan Copper Mines

A. H. Heath, conimissioner of labor rif Michigan, has issued a synopsis of his Bixth annual report. Any méchame, laborer, farmer, business or professional man can obtain a copy of the iull report free by writing to A. H. '!eath,CommÍ8sioner of Labor, Lansing, Mich., askir.g for " Sixth Annual Report." Below we give that portion of the synopsis which deals with copper mining in Michigan i "A few facts from the statistics of the copper industry will show the scope of the report. Alraost the entire labor, which includes mining, surface work, the stamp mili and smelting works, is foreign. There are no Chinese or colored men. A canvass waï made of the Copper Falls, Allouez, Keawarge, Qnincy, Franklin, Huron, Atlantic, Calumet and Hetla, Osceola and Tamarack niines, and the smelting works at Hancock and ori Toren Lake. In the above work 5,516 men are employed, according to figures furnished from their offices. Of this numher the bureau senured a canvass of 3,070. The nationaltiesare: 631 Americans; (i52 Englishnen; 386 Finlanders; 330 Canadian Freuch; 221 Germans; 210 Irishmen ; 156 Austrians; 120 Polandere; 104 Swedes; 103 Norweijians ; f.1 Italiana; "il Bcotcbmen ; 14 Swiss; 13 Frencbmen; B Welshmen ; 4 Nova Scotians ; 3 Hollanders; 2Danes; and one each, Uussian, Spaniard and Australian. "Of the (31 reported as American bom only 82 are children of American parents. 175 are children of English parsnts, 143 Irish, 94 Germans, 32 Canadian French, 7 Swiss, 7 Scotch, 5 Yrench, 4 Polish, 4 Swede, 4 Norwegian, and 71 nativity of parents not reported. "1,862 men out of the 3,070 are married, and have 6,643 children, of which number 2,365 altend school. Of the total number of men only 369 have provided for their families by carrying a Ufe ineurance. "As the mining companies will nol aell land, the miuers as a class are nol home owners, but live in dwelliugs rented of the company. They can, however, lease land of the company, by paying an annual ground rent, and srect tnereon their own house. 452 are reported as owning tlieir own homes. 28 of these are mortgaged for a total sura of $10,380 dollars. "The intelligence is indicated by the newspapers read. 179 take a daily paper. 971 a weekly and 129 a montbly. "The fact that 2 families out of 1,862 own a piano and 288 an organ is evilence of a beginning of home culture, white the owning of a sewing machine oy 1,344 families shows a desire for modern household conveniencies. " Woman and children labor cannot i)e employed in copper mining, owing :o the nature of the work. No wonien are reported as working at gainful occupations outside of household duties. The children in 45 families only are reported as earning wages during the year, whii-h amounted to a total of $13,438. "Although mining issupposed by the public generally to be unhealthy, according to the statement of the men themselves, they enjoy good health. 2,973 8aid that they had cood health and two reported better health than when they began work. Only 9-" reported poor health. Their replies were : POOT health, 53; fair, 19; bad, 10 ; not good, 5; sickly, 4; medium, 2; very oor, 1 ; delicate, 1. " To the question : Are you as well off as five years ago? only 169 replied no. To the second question : If not, in what respect? 84 replied lesspay, 15sickness, 11 loss by fire (which probably means loss of work by the fire in the Calumet and Hecla mine), 2 financially, 27 less money, 4 larger fatnily, 1 not so well, 5 ín debt, 1 lost money that he had saved, .' are older now, 2 lost money in speculation, 2 bad luck, 2 on accountof drinking (honest reply), 2 in every respect, 1 )oorer, 4 more to provide for, 2 got hurt, 1 harder times, 2 bad luck, and one poor Fellow pathetically gave as a reason 'am married now.' ''In one year in nine mines 25 men were killed: 8 by falling rock, 5 by fallïng in mine, 4 by riding in tbe'skip,1 and the cause of (i not reported." Tm; claim of organizers of labor societies that organization tends to keep wages up is undoubtedly correct. The Globe tobáceo eompany of Detroit has in operation a profit-sharing scherne, and it was brought about almost directly jy organized labor. The secretary of :he company thus describes the profitsharing: "'After canvassing thoroughly with John Devlin, .T. D. Long, Judsón Grencll and E. W. Simpson, the district, soard of the Knighta of Labor, we settled upon the following arrangement: We agreed to pay to the district board ] per cent of our gross receipts, after deducting the cost of revenne Stampt, and this money was to be paid to our employés pro rata by the district board. We found by consulting our attorney :hat we could not safely venture upon !he co-operative plan, as the laws of Michigan givea partner's privileges to every member of such an organization, and whenever one becomes dissatisfied there is nothing to prevent him taking out an injunction and throwii.g the business into the hands of a receiver. " We are satisfied, our workmen are flatisfied, and the district board is satisSed. Our hands receive on an average the same wages paid in other tobáceo factories, and the dividends amount to about 10 per cent additional. The first quarterly dividend was paid August 16, 1886, and amounted to $022 60. The last was paid October 12, 1888, and was $742.42. Underth is sy stem the employés turn out more and better goods and take an interest in pushing our goods outside, which bas considerably increased our sales. Again. we are at rest on the subject of dinsatisfaction arnong them, and have no fear of any strike or other untoward movement either against our credit, reputation or businees interests in any way. We oifered the men their choice between working nine hours a day (fifty-four hours the week) or ten hours a day, with a Saturday half-holiday (fifty-five honrs), and they chose the latter. We are not at all embarrassed in laying men off or discharging them. All our dealings are with the district board. It follows that places in our works are at a premium among employés in tobáceo factories, and we secure the very best class of workmen." The following, at the head of the first column of a recent number of the Lansing Republican, is suggestive: "This column, as our readers have already seen, has been thoroughly reconstructed. No expression nor idea unbecoming for a gentleman, or repuguant to the most refined family circle, will be permitted by the editor to appear in any department of the State Republican. Brightness, originality, wit, humor and strength will be marked characteristic of its utterance ; but it will be clean, and shine with a pure luster, as the representativo newspaper of the state capital and of Laneing interests and Lansing society." If this means anything, it means that under Godfrey's management the paper was not fit to appear in the family circle. And yet Godfrey wants to be the government printer. Kknatok Edmünds believes in the Monroe doctrint, evidently, for recently he introduced the following to the senate : "Rriolved, That the government of the United States will look with serious concern and disapproval upon any connection of any Baropean government with the construction or control of any ship canal ac.ross the Iithmae of Darien or acrOBB Central America, and must regard any such connection or control as injurioui to the just righte and interests of the United States and as a menace to their welfare. "Resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to communicate the expressinn of the views of congress to the governments of the couutries of Europe." Ir may be a great and glorious thing to do, but we are hardly convinced. The British had a forcé of 4,000 men, armed with modern guns. There were machine guns and a man of war. The Arabs were poorly armed, but they fought with great bravery. Four hundred of their number were killed. Russell R. Pealer, of St. Joseph county, is urged for supreme court justice on the Republican ticket. He has had experience as circuit judge.