The New York herald., 1877-08-25
THE SCHUYLKILL REGION.
CONDITION OF MINERs--CAUsEs OF THEIR DIS

CONDITION OF MINERs--CAUsEs OF THEIR Dis
CONTENT.
MAHANoY Cry, Pa. August "a, 1877
The general aspect oil mining affairs the Schuyl.
kill region, while being comparatively calm is un-
settled, uncertain and even precarlous, and those
signs that bctokon tho coming storm to those
acquain ted with tho pecuares Of the coal trade and
the bitter and aggressive disposition Of the minors
and their ASSISTANTS the aborers perceptible Oh
every side. The labor agitators from the Wyoming
Lackawanna and Lehigh regions have performed thor
inccndary well from Black Creek TO this poin.
in tho Middle Coal Fields and we'll has tho com
pact OF uniGnism been sealed between tho
leaders Of the workingmon's Bcnevolen. Asso-
citation and the dissatisfied golfers that
1t would not be difficult to inaugurate
general strike at any moment Tho miners, how
ever, do propose TO preciptate their action but
are thoroughly organizing themselves for the fray
with tho operators Tor the advanced wages. Some Of
the workingmen are opposed to open rupture with
their employers, ana an officer OF the Benevolent
Association said to-day :-"rncre may be a compro-
mise effected between tho two elements which may bo
satisfactory to all parties concerned but must be
determined by the committees selected from the
and tho Schuy kill Coal Exchange, the trade
ASSOCIATION OF the operators" In the meantime tho
banding themselves together under tho stan
dard OF The union, and everything will DC in readiness
Tor strike by tho lst Of September In the event or
the operators refusing to concede the advanced wages
to the miners II Is estimated that fully three
operators are members OF the union. The miners
only await the determination OF the Philadelphia aud
Reading Coal and Iron Company's men to CO operate
with them in the strike.
SYSTEM OK WHICH MINERS WORK
The following Is the system upon which tho miners
work k:-Ihoy are paid upon basis OF the price OF
coal At Port Carbon and Schuylkill Haven, the two
central shipping points of tho region. lhe original
basis was 81 80 ton, and when the prices
declined they were TO suffer onetbrd tho Toss.
Previous to the troubles in the Lchigh aud other
regions coal averaged 81 90 per ton at scnuylkin
Haven but when prices elevated at the seaboard
the figure went up 10 81 TO- The percentage oil
decrease from basis" figures, which had been
about thirty per cent, was reduced TO thirty
and thirty three per cent, the Philadelphia and
Reading Coal and Iron Company establishing the
former rate and the individual operators the latter
percentage In tho face OF what is considered very
favorable state OF affairs by tho trade generally the
minors havo declared themselves dissatisfied. AT
thirty per the outside aborcr the poorest paid OF
all employees, gets So 80 a week, the loader receives
81 TO- while the miners portion is, " he has
tract 50 TO- The Golfers generally have contracts for
..bIow,ne down coal In breasts" and obtain from saO
to $40 per month They work in 'thrce shifts' Of
IRON six to eight hours daily. During The war the
miners earned from 500 to $3.50 monthly.
or DIscosrENr.
The discomfort among the workngmen is entirely at
trbutsd 10 the peculiar regulation Of prices The COL
lers claim that by the adoption OF the ''bass which
virtually makes them partnors IN tho production OF
coal, they entitled to all prices that aro made
Tnoy received small share Of profits while rates
ruled low at the scaboard during the spring and early
summer and now want the ful benefit tho
prices. or, In other words demand a return to tho
for less than 81 so NJ Port Carbon and Schuylkill
Haven. Tho trouble between the miners and ipdi-
vidual operators has been occasoned by the following
letter, which was sent by Franklin b. Gowen, Presi.
dent OF the Philadelpha and Reading Coal and Iron
Company TO Mcssrs. John Shippen and Jonn p Ho.
BARI employees oi tho company and members Of the