The Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah
Monday, December 14, 1936



Mines Plan New Attempt At Reopening.  

Mine operators and representatives of the Miners’ union at Park city were in separate sessions at the state capitol this afternoon endeavering to reach a common meeting ground. The separate sessions were ordered after a joint session in the governor’s office failed to produce any results.

The sessions are being held as 100 deputies patrol the streets of Park City to keep down any disturbance.

Mine operators in the Park City district, where the metal mines have been strike closed for nine weeks, prepared today to take means to insure the immediate opening of the mines.

The Park Utah Consolidated Mine, located in Wasatch county opened Saturday morning with 60 men to a shift.

Closed mines include the siver King Coalition and the Park City Consolidated Mines company.

Workers To Be Taken Through Tunnel From Wasatch County.  

Plan of the operators under consideration for some time is to take miners from the Keetley side through the drain tunnel of the Park Utah mine.

Operators announced today that while mine extension work will have to be done before this can be accomplished, work will begin immediately. The mine owners are also well aware of the fact that one hundred per cent protection will be guaranteed them in Wasatch county. This should prevent any picketing interferences from the striking miners, who reside mostly in Park City.

Fear Closed Shop.  

A mine company official explained today the operators had reached the conclusion that recognition of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, would soon lead to a demand for a closed shop in the district. This, said the official, would result in another strike and the thing might go on interminably without any permanent settlement. Mine operators are taking the position that approximately 100 or more men will hang on in the district as long as the federal government will feed them, only for the reason of stirring up trouble.

They believe it is time to call a halt to this possibility and get those who want to work back on the job as rapidly as possible.

Other Compromise.  

Following a secret ballot members of the union called a strike when mine operators refused to meet demands of 50 cents a day increase in pay, eight hour collar to collar labor and no discrimination because of union activities.

The mine operators met this with a 25 cents a day increase in pay and no discrimination.

This proposal was defeated by union members in a secret ballot last Friday by a vote of three to one.

The following day miners in Wasatch county after being given every assurance by Sheriff Ephraim Adamson of Summit county that they would be given every protection if they attempted to enter the mines through Park City, proceeded to the mining camp.

Met By Pickets.  

At the head of Main street, the auto caravan of Wasatch county miners were met by a mob of strikers 600 to 700 strong. Sheriff Adamson searched the autos for firearms and sent the cars into the mob, which severly man-handled some the motorists. After considerable fighting in which approximately 40 men were injured, the Wasatch county men returned to their homes.

Following this Governor Henry H. Blood called representatives of mine operators and union officials into conference in his office after being assured that no futher attempt would be made for the present to reopen the two Park City district mines in Summit county. The Summit county commission also called for an investigation into the alleged failure of Sheriff Adamson to cope with the situation Saturday afternoon.

Several hundred men were congregated on Main street in Park City today although no trouble was expected. Under orders from the sheriff no more than 10 persons can be in any one group.