Nova Scotia Miners Actually Starving, Parliament Hears (newspaper article)
by E. George Smith
Appeared on the Front page of Globe & Mail, Jan. 26, 1926.
A few months after the victory of the coal miners in negotiating a wage reduction, reports circulated that many coal miners were destitute once more. Reporter E. Smith explains that the decrease in coal consumption (as alternatives like electricity became cheaper) caused unemployment and shorter work hours in Cape Breton's mining communities. Additionally, families had not yet recovered from the debt they had accrued during the long strike period. The conditions of some 10,000 miners and their families were brought to the attention of the Parliament, whose members debated the proposal to enact protectionist measures to bolster the coal industry. This newspaper article therefore proves that the miners' hardships persisted some time after their collective agreement with BESCO. Though they gained a measure of control over their wages, their standard of living could not be guaranteed due to economic market factors.
Appeared on the Front page of Globe & Mail, Jan. 26, 1926.
A few months after the victory of the coal miners in negotiating a wage reduction, reports circulated that many coal miners were destitute once more. Reporter E. Smith explains that the decrease in coal consumption (as alternatives like electricity became cheaper) caused unemployment and shorter work hours in Cape Breton's mining communities. Additionally, families had not yet recovered from the debt they had accrued during the long strike period. The conditions of some 10,000 miners and their families were brought to the attention of the Parliament, whose members debated the proposal to enact protectionist measures to bolster the coal industry. This newspaper article therefore proves that the miners' hardships persisted some time after their collective agreement with BESCO. Though they gained a measure of control over their wages, their standard of living could not be guaranteed due to economic market factors.