, 1874-01-19

IdE M1NEHa' D1H1hG An ENN1AAF AN4As
We priut this morning 1etter from our cor
respondent ut Pottsville, Pennsylvania. in which
ho gives reyiow Of the anthracite coal business,
tho minors, tho owners or operators Of the
mines, and tho transportation companies. Tho
history Ia an interesting ono, The anthracite
coal uinea are divided into four districts, and
pottsviI}o Is tho eontro Of ono Of these DISTRICTS
The whole product OF anthracite coal iH about
20, 900, 600 tons annually, and Of this amount
G500 900 tons arc produced in the PottsSi'le, or
3chuylkill, district. Each Of these districts has
a separate system Of transportation companies.
The schuylkill coal all goes to Philadelphia by
tho Philadelphia l. Roading Railroad and Scluyl-
kill Canal. Tho other districts find q market at
New York. or at points on the Hudson River.
Formerly there was nerce antagouiHm between
these competing lines, but Of late years they haye
united mud made common causo AZ against the
producer and tho consumer. During the War
these companies fixed enormous rates Of trans-
portation, and the profits were very great. In
1865 there was first formed village organiza-
ton known as tho Miners and Laborers' Deney-
o1ent Association, Which grow until in 1868 1t
numbered &c, 600 men. The first effort made by
these men was the eight-hour strike, which
ended in the failure Of the hour system, but so-
cured wages Oh what is known aa the "baaiB
systom." This eystom means tho fixing Of d Cor
tain gum per ton Us tile minimum price at which
coal is to be sold. When coal soils at this price,
IL. Af.n T.. n{
rato per ton Of coal delivered at the pt's mouth.
Wages aro regulated upon this basis
for every ceuts per ton advance III
the aolling price Of coal there is an nd
vance Of cont per ton in the wnges. The first
basis for scuylkll1 coal was 80 per ton. In 1860,
tho ownesa Of tho minos demanded reduction.
Tho miners refused, aud there was another strike.
ending III q reduction Of the basis to 22.75 per
! tou. In time further reduction waH domand-
ed, and then commenced the memorable strike,
fostorcd by the transportation companies, which
reducod tho workmen to poverty aud many Of
the operators to bankruptcy. While this Htriko
was pending. tho transportation companies loan-
cd money frooly to tho operators to carry on the
war, taking mortgages on tho mines, md leases,
and machinery and then, at tho end, coming III
under foreclosures aud taking possession Of ths
mineB, tho leases and other property of tue
former operators, The railroads aud canal com
panios, thus becoming mining as wcl as trans
portation companies, wero Able in 1870 to diotatt
terms to the Minors and also to compel al
other persons operating mines to unlto In gon
oral reslstanco to tho Miners Union.
III 1873, the combination Of transportation AM
mining companies agrood among themselves A
to tho maximum amount OF coal TINT should b
produced and transported to market, md appoz
, toned to each d pro raid Share. They fixod til
baHa upon which wagos should bo computed a
$3.50 psr ton, md haso thus bcon able to aeour
!. uniform scale Of prices. The work YES cou
, tinuod, and averago profits have boon made b
] oil concerned. 80 things passed through til
: panic, aud up to tic close Of tho year whom til
miners proposed a change in the mode Of asco
!, tanning the basis price. Tho ru1o has boon
talo statemonts from all tho operators Of IL
n prices secured by them for coal, aud put the,
;, atatemanta In a wheel. Tho average ot tue fir
!, five Of theae, drawn by lot, haa been taxi
as tho baala, Tho mon uotlced that In tho a
vertiaing circulars Of the oporatora the prlc
J. waro put down much higher than In The atat
g. uenta, and 40 they demanded thnt Il
ID circular prices aIould hereafter be talk
d. In lxing tho basis. Tho operators 10
q this domant by counter propositi
O. to reduce present prices 10 cents per ton. b
i. 0oNsn, Pssaidaut ct tla philadelphia i naa