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by Adriana Albi Davies, Ph.D.
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An important aspect of mining history is issues of
government regulation as well as unionization. These subjects
deserve extensive coverage in their own right but the
following refers primarily to material pertaining to Italian immigration
history. A primary source book is the hearings of the Alberta
Coal Mining Industry Commission in 1919. Selections from the
hearings were published by the Historical Society of
Alberta in 1978, edited and with an introduction by University
of Calgary historian David Jay Bercuson.1 Bercuson notes that
the Commission was formed at a time of labour unrest and
business uncertainty (the Winnipeg General Strike, beginning
in May, 1919, set off a ripple of strikes across the country
including in Alberta mining centres).
Hearings lasted for two-and-a-half
months beginning October 6th in Edmonton. Other sites included
Calgary,
Drumheller, Lethbridge, Wayne, Edson and Blairmore. The Index of Witnesses provides a "quick"
overview of the key mining companies in the province and
interests represented. Of 12 recommendations, only three deal
with issues pertinent to the welfare of miners. The Lethbridge Hearings took place November 12-14, 1919 and
it's clear that views are very polarized. Mine officials are
concerned about competition, quality of coal and other issues
pertaining to profits while a number of union representatives
speak with conviction about the condition of miners. These
include:
- R. Peacock, Secretary, Galt Local, United Mine Workers of
America
- R. J. Brown, President, Federal Mines Local, United Mine
Workers of America, Lethbridge
- C. H. Kindgon, printer and vice-president, Lethbridge
Trades & Labour Council
- A. Bryant, Recording Secretary, Commerce Local, United
Mine Workers of America
The miners' representative on the Commission John Loughran
states at the hearing:
I think you have heard evidence since you came in, from a
practical miner, who tells us he can only work at best 7
months in the year and that his average earnings during that
time is about equal to $4.00 per shift. From that he pays
$14.00 per month for rent, $1.00 for water, 50 cents for
carfare, and about $7.50 per month for coal-for earnings of
$4.00 per day.2
This unknown miner's plight becomes much more compelling if
we picture him as Angelo Ermacora. The Palmers in Alberta: A
New History note that central and eastern Europeans held jobs
that were less skilled and were also paid less. In 1906, there
was a miners' strike in Lethbridge when miners joined the
United Mine Workers of America. The miners won a small
wage increase but did not win union recognition-a fact that
left a legacy of bitterness. Other strikes took place in
1922 and 1924. For the Italian workers, there was much
to be gained from looking after
themselves.
In Lethbridge, as in other Alberta towns and cities, among
the first Italian societies, were the fraternal ones, which
were a vehicle for providing mutual support and assistance. I
believe that this was not a North American creation. A
fascinating book titled Storia sociale del Comune di Grimaldi
(1905-1925) [A Social History of the Comune of Grimaldi] by
Raffaele Paolo Saccomanno, talks about the setting up of the
Società Operaia [Workers' Society or trade union] in Grimaldi
in 1905.3 There are some trenchant statements about "parasitism
of the gentlemen." The notion of mutual aid societies, thus,
came with the immigrants and they were formalized to meet
worker needs in Canada adopting the name, "lodge," of North
American fraternal orders.
Enrico Butti, interviewed for the Italians Settle in
Edmonton Project in 1982/83 mentions the Figli d'Italia [Sons
of Italy], which originated in the U.S. in New York but also
had branches in Canada. In fact, Evelyn Halickman in her
unpublished essay "The Italian Community Montreal" mentions
that the Sons of Italy began in Montreal in 1920 when some New
York Italians visited to start up an organization similar to
their own. According to Mr. Butti, these were called in the
West, the Fior d'Italia [Flower of Italy]. Based on
photographic evidence, these societies existed earlier in
Alberta than the 1920 date mentioned by Halickman. The Fior
d'Italia was headquartered in Fernie, and provided insurance
coverage. Mr. Butti was corresponding secretary of the Cesare
Battisti Society in Nordegg, and also of the Grand Lodge of
Fernie.
Anne (McMullen) Belliveau in writing on the Nordegg Italian
Society notes that the Grand Lodge of the society was located
in Fernie confirming what was said by Butti. She provides this
detail:
A per capita assessment was sent from the local Lodge
to the Grand Lodge and this covered long-term problems. If a
member was sick and unable to work, the local Lodge paid $1.00
per day to a maximum number of days, after which the Grand
Lodge took on the responsibility. Upon death of a member,
$100.00 was given to the family. Meetings were held on a
regular basis and this acted as a sounding board for members
to help each other look for solutions to problems. 4
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