St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-24
The KNIGHTS REPLY.
Copy of the Agreement Entered into
Some Time Since.
MUCH = MIXED AFFAIR.
Considerable Buster Being Made, But
No Work Done at the
Mines.

louisville, Pa, jar. 23.-The joint
committee of the Knights of Labor and
the Miners association tonight issued a
reply 10 the statement of President Cor
bin, OF the Reading road, in regard to
the strike. After quoting Mr.. Corbin'S
statement of the negotiations resulting
Ill the agreement of Sept. IA, the reply
says:
I'm answer to the above we have TO
say that the following agreement in
writing as prepared by the Joint com
mlttee was submitted TO General Mana
ger Whiting On the 14th of September
last and accepted by him with the un-
derstanding that it be sent to the re-
ceiyers for their final approval. II was
there and then agreed that John II.
Davis. chairman. should call in a
few days to receive the answer.
Mr.. Davis waited upon Mr.. Whiting on
Sept. IT, who stated that the agreement
had been accepted by the receivers aDd
he then handed Mr.. Davis what he
termed memorandum, which was pre-
Sented as covering the s per cent ad-
vance with sliding scale. to terminate
on Jan. l. 1888, The under
standing between General Manager
Whiting and the committee and
between him and MIR. Davis
on that day was that the receivers could
not enter into any agreement extending
beyond Jan. /, 1888, for the reason that
they could make no contract as receiy-
efS binding on the company, who would
have to assume control of the business
at that time. This agreement. made the
14th day of September, A. d. 1887, be
tween General Manager S. G. Whiting
and MINI Sunf Tnhn VaifI,
the Philadelphia & Reading Coal d.
Iron company and a subcommittee of
the joint committee of the Knights of
Labor, the Miners and Laborers' Anal
gamated association and the Eccentric
engineers of the Lehigh and lower
anthracite regions, for the employees
OF the Philadelphia q Reading Coal
a. Iron company above named.
WitneSseth. that for a period of four
months from the 1st day of September,
A. ID. 1881, all employees of said Phila-
delphia and Reading Coal and Iron
company shall be paid an advance of s
per cent on the present basis and con-
tract prices which shall be the mini
mum, subject to advance with
the. advance in the price of
Schuylkill Haven at the rate of 3333115 Der
cent. every dollar or fractional of 81 adj
vance in the price of coal $3.50 per ton
at Schuylkil1 Haven. And 1t is hereby
agreed by and between the parties
above named for those they represent
that where the said company are now
paying more than contract or basis prices
for certain work because of eXtraordi-
nary slate rock direct wet OF fault. that
when any of said work returns to the
ordinary condition the company shall
have the right to reduce the price of
such work to the average or basis,
prices or regular contract pr C.
for like work, and it is also
further agreed that the agreement
set forth shall not be binding on the
said Philadelphia & Reading Coal and
Iron company provided different
agreement for the payment of DAYS
wages and contract prices by the lead
ing interests and their employees com
peting in the same market be entered
into.''
The statement then goes on to say
that the provision reading: ''Or, in
case no agreement is reached BY Jan. /.
1885, is binding on nobody. because the
receivers could not contract to do any
thing beyond that date.
NO WORK BEING DONE.
READING, Pa, Jan. 23.-The pres
ent Scnuy1klll miners strike is pc
culiarly disastrous to the new hands who
were employed by the railroad after
the railroaders who struck and refused
to come back have been permanent
ly discharged. These new hands were
mostly given jobs in the coal traffic. and
now nearly every one of them have
been laid off because there is nothing
for them to do. OF the 1900 men en-
plOyed in hauling coal fully 1.500
were new hands, only about 500 old EN-
ployes coming back, and all are now out
OF work. President Corbin's letter has
not changed the situation in this sec
ton. There is no coal coming from
the Schuylkill region and the Off
Gals in the city do not expect any for
the present They are now concentrate
ing their efforts to bringing in all the
Wyoming coal they can. They think that
the business men of Schuyikill county
have the power in their own hands to
put a stop to the strike soon by re-
fusing to sell to the miners OH credit.
New York and Philadelphia merchants,
who ship goods to the business men in
the coal region towns. have notified
their customers in Schuylkill county
that they will expect cash payments
from them for the present.