The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-20
POVERTY In THE COAL FIELDS.

THREATESED IDLENEss--MisERY OF MINERS
AND MrRcHANrs-rHE RESULT OF STRIKES
AND COAL CONVERSATIONS.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
SCRANTON, Pa, May is, 1877.
The extent Of destitutiou prevailing throughout the
coal folds IS again assuming alarming proportions. An
earnest message from Mayor McKunc Of tins city. ac-
companicd by pathetic petition from vast body OF
suffering poor, read mt meeting Of the Common
Council tonight The want work, 30 that they
earn tue prce OF bread their starving families
An ordinance appropratng sio Tor street improve
mcnts was introduced with view TO furnishing work
Tor the unemployed but there poor prospects Of its
ADOPTION os tho municipal machinery has faculty OF
grinding such measures 10 death.
The announcement that the principal coal operators
have concluded suspend mining operations for a
moath has caused considerable CONSERVATION among
the merchants and minors throughout the thractc
region. The "sprng opening" which every one hero
hoped would bring a season OF prosperity TO our Ian
gushing Industries, has faei to muse any life into
business affairs and there Disgusting the fact that
the community throughout tho anthracite coal fields
OF Pennsylvania is in PROSTATE and pauperized con-
dilion. Despite the fact that the coal CON-
panies have been Shipping coal this
son than Tor many years previous VIC have
tho anomaly Of moro idleness and suffering among tho
poor tHan nave Dccn Known Tor some time past Inc
cause fr this is furnished tho small wages paid at
the mines. system OF economy has grown out OF
the great rivalry OF tho prncipa coal producers, winch
has crushed the poor deeper tho scale Of social hlc
aud made their iato darker and chcer!ess than
ever. BY the present system Of working hall time at
tho mines the operators able to got within twenty
i've pcr cent oil the work done that they could hayo
were they working on iu.l time, while none OF the
benefit accrues to Tho workmcn. This is easily &C.
counted Tor. Men knowing that they work only
shalt timc" work more diligently, and will miss
hours or half days as the heretofore. The
repairs incidental to accident during tho
''un days" OF 'halt timc,n that working days
men ana machinery arc IN more perfect order
and not moment is lost. These largo quantities OF
coal are mined at little cost The high price Of pro-
visions, especially hour, which is the great support Of
TIC MINER has made IL severe struggle with tho toll
ing casses TO exist tor tho past few months, they
look upon the approaching OF idlcness with dis
may The average earnings OF mnc employees ut tho
present ratio Of working do exceed from $40 Sl3
month. ana, with nour at Sir barrel II lakes no
great effort OF calculation to ascertain the condition OF
the man OF family Most OF ho'mners have families.
and when a wnoe months earning has to 20 Tor the
purchase Of barrel oil Hour II becomes bitter task
trying TO obtain the other accessories that to make
up tho most miserable means OF existence. In
some homes the monthly earnings OF the head OF tho
house have not been sufficient 10 guy barrc -four,
meal forms the prime article OF diet There
are thousands OF poor people have learned to look
upon Hour as luxury and meat aud potatoes are alto
gether out Of the question
TOO MANY LADoRERs
The prevailing ideness want have been
great measure augmented by the unprecedented influx
OIL unskicl labor INTO TINS portion of Pennsylvania
during the past four years. u 1873 Mr. Thomas Dick
sou, OF the Delaware Hudson Canal Company was
seriously considering the question OF importing cooo
| labor, so scarce were workmeu even at that PERIOD
We have now four times tho quantity OF labor In tho
coal eds that We require, ana It's only salvation from
famine rs to strike out boldly Tor Western farms Tho
curse Of the coa hcds has been brought by strikes
among the workmcn combinations among tho en-
poyers and all Ihc unhealthy fluctuations incident TO
sucn abnormal conditions large and very impor-
tant class that has been ground TO the brink OF
between these m'lstones Is made up OF The small
merchants WHO are toterlng on the verge OF bank
ruptcy. They, too, behold The impending idcness
With dismay. Their shelves arc empty, lhcir oank
accounts drained, their credit with tho largo
mercantile sao.s houses IN .haky condition ana
now unable 10 pay thcn They struggle bravely on,
but cannot withstand tho tide before which they
eventually succomb, one by one. This not only the
case In scranton, but In every city, ana hamlet
throughout tho coal folds. Stores up daily
by the Sneri and streets where once thriving busi-
pushed reflect the universal decadcncc, with
shutters up at noon and groups Of idle sitting On
tho doorstcps. The people are without nancy, With.
out credit ana without any prospect OF work, aud
many o! them are without hope Apart from the niue
there IS no resource 10 DO relied on and wholesale
starvation must eventually be the result OF this dis
tressing situation.
| SEEKING TEMPORARY RELIEF.
A committee OF workin men has waited on tho
Mayor, asking him 10 furnish them some relief
| Tor themselves and families or some means by which
they could lood. The Mayor has power 10 aid
them, aud the scheme introduced some time ago
the Select Council for building sewers anu CIV
ing the poor employment has fallen through
owing TO vigorous opposition on the part Of real
estate owners who alcgc that they too poor DO
taxed Ior 500. 000 which IL is estimated the work
would cost. A relief committee Afforded temporary
AID 10 those who were most destitute, but even that
has been sort OF economical sop for Ccrbcrus, and
the poor Of Scranton destitute were
in m,dwinter The Poorhouse IS illcu ovoriowing,
and The efforts of the Poor Directors he II.
less 10 avert the widespread and continually spreading
restitution which claims their consideration.
BUSINESS DEPRESSION.
Tho poverty among tno small storckccpcrs Is quite
general. Tho country Is ovcrcrowdcd with them.
Years ago, when times were good, every man who
This also proved great evil Books were opened
credit invited and reckless extravaganza encouraged
among the working cnsscs, who could get
anything thcy wished wherever they saw 1T, whether
they mad money or moi. This class OF busincss
men injured old established merchants a good deal
because OF giving rise TO ruinous system OF credit
which has been bane 10 business since New
buildings erected aud mortgagcd; build ng
ciatons were organized ana robbed by dishonest and
designing officers, and other specuiatons OF spur.
Gus nat ure engaged IN by men who, having knowl-
edge OF business financial matters, fell a prey
TO their own duplicty or tho thicvng tendencies Of
those who proved false TO the trust rcposcd them
THIS picture OF the present coDdifion OF the coal fields
| Is not ovcrwrought II may DO an unwholcsomc sub.
Jcct 10 contemplate but II Is not without It's lessons
even should that long promised, much desired, but
ccedngy ardy season OF prosperity return TO tho coal
fields VI Pennsylvania