Other developemts of the two-month-old strike were:
1. The Park City District Mines Employes Welfare association was organized as a bargaining agency at a mass meeting at Coalville. The group formerly was known as the Park Utah club.
2. E. A. Hamilton, general manager of the mines for the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining company, announced the strike-closed mill at Midvale would reopen Tuesday.
3. One man was arrested at Bingham and was charged with assult and battery following a labor disturbance. Three cars reportedly were damaged as 15 men reportedly returned to work through Bingham picket lines.
4. Activities on the other fronts were quiet. Tooele smelter workers had returned to work three weeks ago, accepting an operators settlement of a 25 cent per shift pay increase.
5. Governor Blood released a letter written to the district negotiating committee in which he expressed a desire to meet with the committee as soon as possible.
6. Irwin Arnovitz, chairman of the state tax commission, addressed a letter to the union officials concerning their request for an investigation into mine bookkeeping methods.
Park City miners were warned to fight the organization of another group in this valley, if they would win their battle in the eight-week-old strike for a 50 cent per day increase in pay and an eight-hour portal to portal shift.
Leaders pleaded for the preservation of order. However, Paul M. Peterson, president of the Utah State Federation of Labor, warned, If we have to fight to get it (our demands), were going to fight.
Howard B. Alston, superintendent of Park City schools, made a fervent plea for the prevention of violence and an early strike settlement. He begged the men to get together and do something, for the sake of your children.
Sheriff Adamson, who had been previously scheduled to appear at a meeting in Heber City to assure members of the newly formed Park City District Mines Employes Welfare association that men of that body would be assured protection if they desired to crash picket lines, appeared instead as an impartial chairman of the Park City meeting at the request of union officials, answering to Scott Smith, president.
Mr. Robinson explained there were three factors which must be taken into consideration as strike settlement. They were, namely, business men, politicians, and the boss. It is to the advantage of the business men, he said, to back strikers, because they had a long memory. and by increased earning power can spend more money with you.
Mr Wilson claimed he did not believe in violence in a strike, because It dont get you anywhere. All I believe in is Dont go back to work, and dont let any other worker go back to work until you get what youve gone after.
The law of the land allows for peaceful picketing.
Dont hit em, just gang up and dont let em through.
If you stand pat and dont weaken, and not become divided among yourselves, the boss will deal with you.
Mr. Wilson went on to say they had heard: Theyre a bunch of cherry pickers, farmers and apple knockers across the hill who want this thing settled no matter what the cost.
Numerous references to the assorted cherry pickers and apple knockers who were interpreted to mean miners living in the Kamas district were made by a number of persons in the hall. Emery Buhler of Midway was booed when he said: We boys up the valley in the Wasatch county have taken a lot of knocks here tonight, and were not cherry pickers or apple knockers.
Mr. Peterson warned operators and business men to speak your piece tonight or hold it forever.
Bartley G. McDonough, Summit county attorney, warned against violence or bloodshed. His pleas were echoed by practically every union official who took the stand. Numerous verbal retorts to the apple knocker remarkes from union heads came from various persons who shouted their opinion from the floor.
There was no disorder.
Clifford Bradshaw of Francis accused Mr. Wilson of insulting my parents, who were agriculturists. I would like to ask you, Mr. Wilson, he shouted, could you live on the muck from these mines?
Mr. Costas said the Park City union has extended some $3000 in relief and that weve got a few dollars left. He predicted: I think a satisfactory conclusion of this strike situation will be reached in the next three or four days.
Mr. Costas said: It is up to you boys in the valley (referring to the newly formed welfare association) to join the union where you belong and we will settle this strike.
Repeated expressions were heard from union leaders, strikers, non-union men and disinterested spectators at the meeting that the atmosphere has been cleared of a lot of misunderstanding, in words of Mr. Alston.
Mr. Smith, when the meeting opened, explained it had been called to bring all issues into the open, stop wild and unfounded rumors, and generally clear the air.
When the meeting adjourned, he expressed the opinion those objectives had been accomplished.
Although union officials said mining operators had been invited to attend, none appeared. Instead, Mr. Costas read offers previously made by operators to miners for 25-cent wage increases and no discrimination, which he implied were sent the union after operators received invitations to attend.
After the general meeting, Mr. Robinson invited all miners, regardless of their union affiliations, to meet Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Park City Elks hall, to reach an agreement whether or not to sign a petition authorizing the union to become the collective bargaining agency for the district.
Sheriff Ephraim Adamson and mine operators of the district agreed after a meeting with the Summit county commission in Coalville Monday that proper protection is assured.
It is my duty to preserve order and keep the roads open, Sheriff Adamson said.
Paul H. Hunt, superintendent of the Park Utah Consolidated Mines company, expresssed assurance that the sheriff will take every precaution. I think it has been put up pretty cold to the officials, he said. They know that threats have been made, and that if something is done their bondholders are responsible. (Mr. Hunt referred to possible violence when an attempt be made to reopen mine operations.)
Representatives of the three major mines in the district were present at the meeting.
Mr. Johnson reported a committee of nine had tentatively drafted a constitution and by-laws for the new organization, which developed into a union following action of Park Utah club members last week to seek reopening of the strike-closed mines. The constitution, by-laws, and the letters mailed Monday were approved Monday night at a meeting of more than 120 members of the new organization in the Wasatch high school in Heber.
The constitution contains a prevision that no operators, superintendants, foremen or engineers are eligible for membership in the welfare association. This was pointed out by leaders as proof that the new group is not a company union, as opponents of its growth have claimed.
Other provisions of the constitution concern welfare activities in general.
One asserted picket was arrested for assault and battery and three workers reported to officers that their cars had been tampered with, but sheriffs officers present in both towns prevented more serious disorder.
An asserted attack by a picket on an employe attempting to enter the mine grounds was reported Monday morning at Bingham. Leonard Witcherty was in jail at a late hour Monday under $50 bail on an assault and battery charge filed by Arnold Gunderson. Gunderson charged that as he drove his automobile toward the upper workings of the U. S. mine at Bingham, Witcherty and other pickets leaped on his running board and attacked him. Unable to identify the other pickets, he said Witcherty slugged him several times.
Witcherly pleaded not guilty in the charge before Justice of the Peace S. J. Kenner Monday afternoon. His trial is to be held Wednesday.
Governor Blood Monday suggested reopening of negotiations in a letter to H. L. Miles, district secretary, and F. L. White, international representative of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers.
It is noted that you are ready again to discuss this matter in detail, the letter read in part. I shall be pleased to meet you gentlemen at any time suitable to yourselves; early next week, if possible.
It was written in answer to a union request that an investigation be conducted into the accounting and bookkeeping system used by certain mining companies. With a representative group of citizens who are not connected with the mining industry, they have asserted that if a proper accounting were made by the mine operators as to their actual proceeds, that the sales tax would be abolished.
His letter read in part:
May we take this opportunity to advise you of the nature of the auditing of the accounts of mining companies carried on by this commission during the past two years. Mr. H. H. Higgs, one of the members of our auditing staff, has been assigned to this task and for the past two years has been making an audit of the net proceeds returns of mining companies.
This work has been correlated with the efforts of the auditing department in auditing the corporation franchise tax returns of these mines. Originally Mr. Higgs devoted only a part of his time to the work of making mine audits, but during the whole of 1936 his whole time has been devoted to mine taxation. The returns of mining companies covering net proceeds tax are being audited as rapidly as they are received.
This work has resulted in making additional assessments in many cases. If you have any information that would justify assigning additional auditors to the task we would be happy to make such an assignment and to make a detailed report to the legislature of the results of our findings.
May we assure you that you will always find this department ready and willing to receive any suggestions from reliable sources and that such suggestions, when received will be acted upon.