The Alaska Juneau mine and mill will close down tonight at midnight putting between 225 and 250 men out of work. The big mill began operating in 1917 and has operated constantly since except for a six-week strike in 1935. The company has been losing money for the past several years due to decreased production because of the war which created a manpower shortage. The management decided to close rather than to pay a 14 cent an hour wage increase recently ordered by the War Labor Board. The company formerly employed about 1,000 men and had an output of about 13,000 tons of rock daily, only a portion of which was milled. Daily tonnage has recently fallen below 4,000 and the operation is unprofitable at that level. Gastineau Bygones – 08/08/1980
