New-York tribune., 1874-12-10
DEAR COAL.
nsrs OF THE HIGH RATES.


trRox SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIRE TRIBUNEl
PorrsvnLE, Penn, Nov. 2S.-In a recent
letter from philadelphia gave the substance or the
complaints Of manufacturers and householders about
the high price anthracite COAL and the statements OF
coery owners and transporers to the causes which
have operated to ect steady rise In the price OF tnl
article In time when the ordinary laws OF trade woud
tend to produce decline. came TO this central point
Of the Schuylkill. coal region to supplement- INC
information got in Philadelphia by iacts pest
obtained in district where tne an'nr"D'e
is produced, and with the general op)ecs III
view OF acertanng whether the high price OF
this prime necessity OF manufactures and commerce and
great agent OF civilization is artcally produced and
maintained by combination in the nature of monop-
oily or whether 1t the result Of causes for which no
one Is TO blame. The existence Of q combination OF
transportation companies which at the same time
large Of coal is well known; but is strenuousy
denied that the combination creates price that affords
more than fair remuneration to those engaged In pro-
ducing and handling the article IL not Denied how
ever that price kept somewhat higher by the ef
forts the companies forming the combination than
would be all producers and transporters competed as
freely as do those engaged In tie btuminous coal trade
THE THREE CLASSES OF COAL PRODUCERS.
Leaving the OF coal lands who lease them
Tor royalty and taking account Of certain middle
whose profits not excessive, there are three
classes engaged in the business of supplying the public
with coa-the miners and laborers the eoiery owners.
and the transporters If the price is too high is
maintained by all consumers with whom have con-
versed, 1t would appear that all OF these three
making unreasonable profits at the expense
Of the public. Beginning at the bottom OF the question
and inQuring how much OF the price OF ton OF coal
gees TO the miner who takes 1t out Of the ground,
that the earnings OF much greater than
those OF aborers in other occupations requiring more
ski Their average earnings stated at about 800
month. WOrkmen in furnaces and rolling mills earn
from 81 to 81 so a day only. and miners employed
froun a 81 Ok dau
kinds OF labor are not nearly well
munerated as they were two years ago, with the
solitary exception of coal mining. The rates agreed
upon by the miners and their employers In 1874 the
result of Judge EwelPs arbitration the rates paid
to-day. A strong trades-union organization known as
the Miners Laborers Benevolent Association, sup
ported by the miners In this region and managed
intelligence and prudence rarely found In such
organizations, has enabled the miners TO maintain the
OLD thus In January the question OF wages
for 1874 viii up and the coliery owners will en-
deavor to effect reduction. FOreseeing this effort as
likely grow out OF the condition OF the trade, the
miners have already discussed the question in the Asso
citation, and large majority of the branches OF the
order have voted not 10 submit 10 any reduction The
wages OF miners ard Of all labOrers employed about
oOlery established at the beginning OF each year
by joint council composed OF representing the
cOery owners and the Miners Association. mixed
system has been in operation since 1S71 under which
the miner fixed weekly wages and in addition per
ceptage Of increase proportioned to the price OF
coal when it exceeds a certain sum agreed upon as
The basis. All work done by contract, that is by the
ton cubic yard. participates the increase.
The present basis fixed in January 1s73 and continued
for 1874, is s. so ton at Port Carbon point near
Pottsville, which the lateral roads from mines
center When coal sells at this basisprice the wages
are as follows: Outside labor. $40 per week; inside
IabOr, 81 per week miners working by the day. S3 per
week For three cents increase in the price per
ton Of coal addition OF per made to these
rates IT, for example the price Is 81 go the increase of
AMOUNTS to 10 per cent and the mipers working
for SS week get sI4 go taking coal for
Per get IS This system appears {"
me TO e2 vvnmeadabe. II would be better, however.
If the wages were entirely proporcbed the price of
ecal. hat the would lose by fall as well as
gl!n by rise. They would thus become to greater
extent partners the work in which they engaged
Weekly wages rarely paid TO efficient miners
They work by the yard Of gallery driven
or by the taken OF breast" and earn
as have said. average of 500 month when fully
employed, working about hours day. Often
they make $780, aud heard OF Of men making
from s75 500 These certainly appear TO be enormous
wages in times thousands OF industrious working
men are glad to get employment at from $50 TO $50
month.
WHY THE MINERS RESIST REDUCTION or WAGES
There is be SAID nevertheless, on the miners
aide OF the question the first place he is en-
poyed the year round Many eolieries stop work IN
December and do until March an assured |
that the length Of tune which miner can work
in the course OF the is not more than eight months
supposlng him sober and Industrious, and not TO
70 on a strike Estimating his wages 10 average 800
month and this Is an employers figure which most
miners would think too high, dividing the $500 earned
among the months Of the gives hin only s65 60
a month. The laborer III the mne who gets with the
percentage increase about So week works no longer
than the miner therefore only about $500
voar Considering the dlsagreeable nature OF
the business and the risk to life and limb attending It,
these are certainly unreasonable wages The miners
generally agree saying that If they were assured OF
nine months steady work next year they would eheer-
fully consent reduction of Is per cent Such an assu
rance will not given them. and they can scarcely be
blamed for insisting present the tiue they
are employers TO force down the rates
q long strike will probably ensue. The Reading Coal
and Iron Company, sdjuuct OF the Reading Rail-
road Company is disposed to push wages down at the
expense OF strike if bat VIII not act in this d
recton without the cooperation Of the individual coery
owners 1t has alressF stopped operations at twenty
out OF the thirty collieries which it had
tnnpiug in October, baving its wharves at Port
Redmond Philadelphia, oyerstocked The Company
has also informed operators whose product 1t has
been purchasing un1er pool arrangement that It must
rease for the present take any coal from them
This leaves them with the alternative OF stopping work
At their mines or shipping their coal to ude-water on
their own account aud seeking market for It, With
demand so light coal has accumulated at all ship
ping points extent that there Is room for no
more, with cessation Of operations at perhaps
snehalf the coleres heavy fall in price accompanied
py corresponding decline in wages, would seem iney
table. But have already shown that anthracite is
N certain extent exempt from the operations Of the
avs OF trade The consumers deal with monopoly OF
and transporters and the producers deal with
powerful labor combination.
REDUCTION OF COAL RATES JUDGED IMPOSSIBLE.
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