The 1913 Vancouver Island Miners Strike
by Jack Kavanagh (continued)

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II.

"The State performs its function."

The Orientals employed in the mines had quit work in company with the rest. of the miners. The miners were idle, no one working save a few firebosses who were engaged in keeping the mine in repair. The miners were taking advantage of the enforced holiday pending some settlement being effected.

On Sept. 21st District President R. Foster interviewed the Minister of Mines, Premier McBride, relative to the discriminating against Mottishaw for making a true report, as called for by the Coal Mines Regulation Act. He was informed that the matter would be considered. The Premier later communicated with Mr. Foster to the effect that he could see no grounds for interfering in so far as the Coal Mines Act was concerned, and would not take it up under the Public Enquiries Act.

About Sept. 24th some ten or twelve special provincial police arrived in Cumberland. Previous to their arrival the white miners had had free access to the Oriental quarter, but this was stopped when the police arrived. It may be a coincidence, though undoubtedly a strange one, that a few days after the police had surrounded the Chinese quarters, the Chinese evinced a desire to return to work, although previous to that time they had no intention of so doing.

It is alleged, and on good grounds, that the police, together with Mr. Coulson, manager of the company, went to each of the Chinamen and threatened them with deportation unless they returned to work.

On Sept. 30th a communication was sent to the Minister of Labor at Ottawa asking for advice and containing the following sentence: "If there is any remedy we would like to know."

A formal reply promising a further reply was received, but no further reply materialized. Further attempts to meet the mine owners in conference were unsuccessful.

Although Cumberland was, if possible, more peaceful than ever, approximately 100 foot and twenty mounted special policemen were sent into the town. In the meantime the miners working at the Extension mines, Ladysmith, operated by the same company as at Cumberland, The Canadian Collieries ("Dunsmuir"), Ltd., had taken one day's holiday to discuss the situation as it applied to them, and on their return to work were met by the same notice which had been posted at Cumberland. By the beginning of October all miners employed by the Canadian Collieries, Ltd., had been locked out.

The company made one or two attempts to import strike-breakers but with little success.

During this time the press had carried on its usual campaign of vilification. A sheet published at Cumberland, entitled The Islander, became hysterical in its abuse of the miners. Reports were circulated that an attempt had been made to blow up a railway bridge, but had failed owing to the dynamite being frozen. The discoverer of the alleged attempted outrage stated that 100 yards of fuse was attached to the dynamite. As fuse is only made in 50-foot lengths, and as fuse only burns at the rate of one foot per minute, the story was discredited save by the above mentioned press.

In January, 1913, the Executive Board of the British Columbia Federation of Labor interviewed the Premier and his cabinet, and again urged him to intervene in order that a conference between the mine owners and the miners' representatives might be accomplished.

To this a formal reply was received. Later on President Sivertz of the B. C. Federation again wrote to the Premier, asking him, as Minister of Mines, to intervene in this dispute. This request was politely evaded.

A resolution was introduced during the 1912-13 session of the Provincial Legislature by Mr. Parker Williams, asking that a committee of enquiry, one member of which was to be Mr. John Place, be appointed to enquire into the cause of the lock-out. This resolution was defeated by an overwhelming majority.

The Canadian Collieries Ltd. had by this time a considerable number of Asiatics working as strike-breakers at Cumberland. Attempts had been made to import white miners, but with very little success. It had been decided at an executive session of the miners to declare a general strike of all miners on Vancouver Island in an endeavor to influence the government to intervene and bring about an investigation into the circumstances responsible for the lock-out. No date had been fixed for the declaration of a general strike, however, the intention being to carry out this program only when all other means of effecting a conference had failed.

May 1st being the day celebrated by the miners as Labor Day, it was finally decided to issue the strike call on the evening of April 30.

This was done and the pamphlets, proclaiming a general strike of miners on the Island, were distributed among the men as they came from work.

Much stress has been laid on the statement that no ballot was taken of the men, working in the mines, as to whether or not they were in favor of striking.

This has been made the basis of some of the most extravagant statements appearing in the press of British Columbia.

For every effect there is a cause, therefore we will seek the cause as to why no previous ballot was taken.

The Union in Nanaimo was comparatively small, the reason for this being an almost perfect spy system operated by the officials of the Western Fuel Co. So perfect was the system of espionage that to mention organization was tantamount to requesting dismissal. This being the condition, some common interest was necessary in order to overcome the feeling of distrust engendered amongst the miners by the system operating among them. The strike call furnished that common bond.

A mass meeting was held in the Princess Theatre on the night of May 1st, wherein the situation was outlined to them. The feeling in favor of the strike was overwhelming and the strike of all miners on Vancouver Island had commenced.

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