New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-08-19

the coal fields are SAID 90 rangr IRON "a u ~"
week, and exceptionally good hands VINO are expo
ditious with fine drill aud economical with their pow
der often make great deal more. Inc ochuylk'u
miners Joined heartily ina strike for reduction Of
the working hours. which was started by the day
laborers although miners are not paid by the day,
and in point of fact generally work less than eight
bonrs in the q rs il is. What they wanted was
higher pay per car though they did put their de-
mand into form but took up the raying cry of their
comrades. The miner eau work no faster than the
Iaborer is ready to carry off the coal and keep the
way clear so if you reduce the working hours OF the
latter by one-fh you take away fifth OF the miner
earnings. The pay of all the hands in the Scranton
region and believe in other places also, was raised
about per cent last May. They no longer hire men
in the Scranton mines 10y the day. but by the hour'
week or month This change may obylate the dan-
ger of MISUNDERSTANDING with the men, but 1t was
entirely unnecessary ~ means OF eyadine the eeht-
bour law That statute merely provides that eight
hours shall constitute legal days work when there IS
M e,ycss contract 10 the contrary so that its practical
benefit 10 the laborer is not very clearly apparent
The three companies to which 1 have alluded as
controlling nearly all the coal mines near Scranton,
are the Delaware Lackawana and Western, the Del
aware and Hudson and the Pennsylvania Coal Com
pany each of which owns not only mines but the
railroads connecting them with the great cities Most
of our New-YOrk market is supplied by these com
panies The Delaware, Lackawana and Western
connects with the New-Jersey Central, running 10
Jersey CITY and the Morris and Essex to HOboken,
and furnishes what is generally known as Scranton
coal. its mines being chiefly in the neighbOrhood OF
the city But 1t gradually extending its operations
down the Susuuehanna Valley. swallowing ND the
NllkCgDaTre.
The Delaware and Hudson finds a convenient outlet
at Rondout. on the North River. 1t supplies chiefly
what is called Lackawanna coal, and has bought
out the Baltimore Coal COmpany's mines at wilkes
barre Pittston coal is brought to market prncl-
pally by the Pennsylvania Coal Compampany, whose
works are near PittstOn, between Wilkesbarre and
Scranton More of this goes to Philadelphia than TO
New-York.
The statistics of the year 1867 showed that Of the
three great fields the Schuykill, which contains the
most coal and only two years before had been first IN
point of productiveness had fallen below the Wy
oming in commercial Importance, sending 4,S3i SO
tuns TO market ia decrease of 10000 tuns in Il
months), while the Wyoming field sent 5S2SOCO, or
nearly 100000 more than it sent the previous year
The Lehigh field exported about 100000 tuns and
has been developing with tOlerable regularity for
some time past. Thus SchUylkill County. for the
want of proper railway facilities seems to be losing
lis position and the land owners complain that the
lessees of mines are driven By the unsatisfactory
dition of the business to work the seams in ruin
ously wasteful manner and rob the mines of the
masses of coal left standing between the breasts
pillars to support the roof The result of such opera
tons must be to mpOyersh the field long before its
resources have actually been brought into
use There are obvious objections to the
Il fko Y.ttufr in tKgn ar
three powerful hands in the Scranton
country but its division among a multitude OF
operators has likewise its serious disadvantages,
not the least of which is the inevitable preya-
lence Of short-sighted extravaganza. miner with
small capital lives from hand tOmOuth, and must dig
ont coal enough to meet his pressing liabilities,
though he ruin his mine in doing it, If he can keep
the seam workable until bis lease runs out, he need
not worry himself about what is 10 come afterward.
The evil is not confined to Schuylkill County sup
pose but it is most perceptible there because 1t is
aggravated by the lack of facilities for getting
market The present cessation of operations will of
course have the effect of placing the Schuylkill
region in still lower position in next years tables
than il held in last On the LIST of March the total
yield of the anthracite fields showed an increase OF
900 tuns over the corresponding period of 1867
on the LIST of August the increase had fallen to
5000 tuns and probably before the miners are
at work again the increase will have been wiped out
altogether This holds out little prospect of cheap
coal IL.