Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-01-23
PRESIDENT coRBIN
Issues Statement Concerning the
Great Reading Strike.

PHiLADELPHIA, Jan. %
1 President Corbin of the Reading Co. is
long statement in regard TO the strike OF
railroad hands and miners. He speaks OF
I the refusal of certain employees at Port
Richmond in December to handle freight
which arrived for the Philadelphia Grain
] Elevator Co, the only reason given being
I that the Elevator Company did not employ
Knights. The railroad hands were dis
charged and fye other crews who declined
/ to handle obnoxious freight lost their places.
/ The leaders of the Knights ordered all
I railroad hands TO strike and remain out until
I the discharged men were taken back. The
/ Co. refused to take back the original delin-
quents and proceeded to I'LL the places of the
/ strikers.
/ The statement recites that the men who
struck never complained of oyerwork, unfair
wages or unkind treatment. The Co. never
inquired whether their employees were union
or on-union. faithful service alone being the
condition of employment. In the places OF
25O0 or more hands who voluntarily quit
work other reliable men have been employed
aud they will be retained as long as they per-
form their duties faithfully.
The trouble on the railroad is ended,
says the statement, 'aud will never be
opened up again
Of the miners difficulty, Corbin says that
the coal and iron company has lived up 10 its
agreement to advance the wages OF the min
ers eight per cent for four months, TO begin
sept. |, loS1, the advance paid amounting
to S24l ,906. The agreement provided that
after Jan. /, loos. the company should re
turn to the - 90 basis, or II all the coal
mining companies had meanwhile settled up
on some advance, the Reading company
should adopt that basis. The miners broke
their part of the agreement by stopping work
Jan. =.
u am informed" says Corbin, that they
did this, first. because we wouldn't reinstate
the men discharged on the railroad, and sec
oud because We wouldn't continue the eight
per cent. advance. On no basis of wages
nave they been willing To return to work un-
less we first reinstated the railroad men or
agbitrated that question. As | have stated,
that matter is ended, and no matter in con
nection with that strike will ever be submit
ted to arbitration.
As to the question of wages to miners we
always paid and were always willing TO pay as
high is any of the large companies in com
petition with this one" The Reading com
pany cannot afford to pay more for mining
ceedingly this action ON the part of the EN-
ployes OF our road as well as the action of
the miners which promise to bring disastrous
results to those portions of the State that are
dependent on the output of the collerles,
but there is no alternative for the company
that can except to insist upon these
rights
|. The right to manage our own property.
?. The right to employ labor in mining
coal SO it will have at least an equal chance
with It's nclghbor in every competitive mar
ket. The -. 80 basis established by this
company in 1870, is liberal for miners. They
receive as much as miners III other localities.
In the Wyoming district the miners are paid
certain agreed sum without regard to the
price of coal. While our miners share i'll the
increased price of coal beyond thcS2 80 basis
every miner OF our coal knows that under
that basis with prices that existed in January,
those in the Schuylkill Valley would have
received wages very considerably in excess
of the wages paid elsewhere. even at lower
prices for coal than those obtained during
this month. The wages have still been in ex-
cess OF those paid in other localities.
For twelve years, commencing Jan. /,
1876, and ending Jan. /, 1883, the company
has mined II 900, 900 tons of coal, and paid
for il to miners SJ1, 10000. and received as
net proceeds only Sii ,SiU, 900, making the
actual loss in mining Sl2,21O,o00 During
these years the stockholders of the railroad
which has transported coal and, have up
wards of $40 100000 in money for stock,
have not received a cent in dividends, aud
have just been called on with "A portion of
the junior securities to pay i'll assessments OF
$4,000. 600 fresh money to make good the
losses of the company. In view of these re-
suits | cannot nov, according to my
Judgment, to pay more money for the same
class of labor than is paid by other competi-
tive companies.