Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-02-07
A STATEN fROM TINE new.
SA.TLg MINERS.
EDITOR PosT-IsTgLIIGRBCER:

EDIToR PosT-ISrsLIIGEECKR:
In your issue OF this morning. in re
gard to the situation at the NewcastI,
mine, We noticed some statement.
which. in justice to the miners. ws wish
to see corrected. Your informan,
| would have the public believe that the
dscresse in the output for the last tive
months was due 10 troubles brought
sbeut by the men. On the 4th of De
cember the miners were told TO quit
work pending preparations for the
opening of the new lift. On the 10th
OF December IS Of these men were paid
of and told that there vas no more
work for them Il occupied about
three weeks in getting the Eew portion
OF the mine IN running order, IN which
time there was not any GOAL shipped al
all. when there vas room for the great
ma jority Of the men, the superintend-
ent, with b8refaced discrimina,iou
fatty refased to employ a portion Of
them, Notwithstanding that the men
Who were employed were willing to
share With them. THIS shonid plainly
show that IL was not the troubles among
the men which caused the decrease in
the output.
Your article further admits that test
was made and price of xS.25 fixed for
mining the coal. Ii further states that
the miners refused TO contract for this
price. We would emphasize this BY
saying that we could not hud one miner
willing to contract under the test price
This would sem conclusive that the
test Was not fair one, and yet the man
aeement make IL more conclusive when
they tell the public that they offered $40
per yard instead of the test price Of
Is 25; that is equivalent to saying that
the test price was not enough.
Now We deny that $40 per linear yard
has been offered since the test price,
hence the statement that one third we're
willing to work, another one third were
not willing to work, and the either third,
which hold the balance of power. re-
fused 10 be employed at any price, is
very unjust. We believe that If the
company had offered $40 per yard since
the test instead of the test price of s. 25
per yard. the matter would have been
settled before now.
To prove this, the majority of the
miners have agreed to mine the coal in
the east side for $l2 per yard. and the
coal IN the west side for fi3 per yard.
This price includes man ways. There
must be two of these man-ways in each
breast, and il is generally conceded that
IL is worth 81 25 per yard to construct
these man ways. This brings tie aver
age price for mining the coal down to
fl025 per yard. or bot % cents more
than the manssoSne Mt claims to hsve
offered In this mornings article. With
30 little difference compromise could
certainly have been effected. We,
therefore, claim that the miners are not
ont on o strike but are now waiting for
reply 10 their demand. which Mr..
Watkins new holds in bis possession.
To illustrate further: Up TO the time
mentioned above, the 4th of December,
the price paid per running yard for
mining was $3.50, dimensions thirty
feet wide. Under the present system,
we shall ask at the rate of $40 25 per
linear yard, dimensions Is feet vide.
This shows a reduction on former prices
of 81 20 per yard for mining the coal,
and yet We have rumors that the miners
are demanding an unjust and exorbitant
price. OSE OF THE MINERS.
February s. 1886.