, 1874-01-19

4
wHEnE THE COAL IS SHIFTED.
Shipments from the 3chuylkilI Negon arc ill
nude ovor tho liuo of tho philado]phia l. Road
ing noad aud win tho schuylltill Canal to
Philadelphia, excepting a worry small portion,
which fluds Its way aouth from Northumberland
County vim the Northern Central 1sai1road The
product OF tho'Wyomiug aud Lehigh sections
goce over tho Lohigh Valley and tho Lehigh Il
suH1uelauna (tho Inter leased to tho Central
Railroad Of New Jorsoy) Rai1roads to New York;
md TINT Of tho Iaokawanna region is sent to
market by tho Delaware, Lackawannn l. West.
ern Railroad Company, tho Delaware l. Hudson
Cannl aud Rallroad Company's, and tho Penn
Bylyania Coal Company's linea.
A,nErnosPEor.
Time was when those Companies hnd nothing
In common, excepting, Of course, O. ,nevor-fail-
ing disposition, like I'LL other corporations, to
squceze every dollar they could out Of both pro-
ducer and consumer. They fought bitterly With
zach othor for the control OF tho markets, md
each WAS over ready, whom the opportunity WAS
offered, to take all possible advantage Of tho
other. Occasionally operators made profit out
or these quatrelB tho producer and consumer
were novor tho gainers by them.
ORGANIZATION OF THE UNION.
It wash 1903 that tho first strong effort was
made to organize union among tho men. Prior
to that timo thcro Ind been attempts In that
direction; but, up to tho year mentioned all lad
proved futilo. In TINT year, at q little borough
Gull cd st. Clair, situated some miles northeast
of PottByil1e, tho men, Under tho leadership of
JOHN Renoy, who is still their Executive Head,
brought into being tho first branch Of what Is
now ono Of the most compact and numerically
and financially powerful tradcB- organizations on
tne continent.
THE M1NEns' AND LABoREns' BENEVOLENT Asso-
CITATION.
progress between tho operators aud mon. Dur
ing tho war the operators bad amused immense
Bunls Of money, coAl having brought the lanclegt
Of prices. and for somo time after it's oloBe It
was highly profitable, but ut this time prices
were going down, and tho operators sought to
balance tho losses thus injured by taking
from tho mon portion Of their earn-
ings,-,ao proceeding TO- which tho men very
nasna' and m objected This was
aud this 1t was that caused tho spirit Of Union
ism 80 to spread TINT, bofore tho close Of the
year 1868 there were at 1east 80 900 mon enrolled
III the now organization. Then came
in which the UuionB, after prolonged and se-
we're struggle, were beaten, though they did sue.
coed III forcing from tho operators Que more i'm
portant concession, tho recognition Of what is
known as
THE BASIS sYsrgu
BY the basis il meant the fixing Of certa;n
figure at which stipulated ratio Of wages ia to
10 pad. II ton OF coal brings that figure at
tie point selected from which to estimate, then
the regular rato ID mid !: aud, for every confa
advance in price Der ton at that roint, i cent
ddttiopal is allowed. That is the 1niner cnIa
/ cont Of eyory cents advance In tic nric1o of
coal per ton above tue basis-figure, flxed at n
ratio below which it IL held TINT ooal should not
bo sold.
The basis for 'sohuylkill was first fixed at az.
When QUO yoar's work lad been done al t},nf mi
basis. the operators complained TINT thov wnrc
uuabio to continue at Tint nrioe. md nr9nnsoj
a reduction. Again tho men obieotod. and asai,,