Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-07
THE READING TROUBLES.
All Quiet and working smoothly
Advancing the Prices or Coal.

10y ttlNhioih w 'A'
pHrLApELpHrA. January $50 far as |
running its trains and handling freight
is concerned there is no evidence that !
can be discovered by the public that any
strike exists on the Reading railroad.
Passenger traffic was not at any time IN
volyed IN the strike, and the company
has been forming new crews OF irelgnt
trainmen, freight and coal-handlers out
of the employees who stuck TO the com
pany. and such skilled and uuskilled labor
as has been offered them in abundance,
until now the company does not admit
that it is at all inconvenienced. This
statement applies also to its great coal
depot at Port Richmond and It's coal
transfer station at Elizabethport, where
coal is not stored but is merely
transferred from the cars to water
transportation. The great decrease IN
the volume of coel-carrying has helped
to bring about this easy solution OF the
railroad strike. Only about one quarter
of the ordinary supply of coal is coming
from the mires-perhaps less. In an
ticipation of scarcity in the near iu-
ture. retailers have all raised the prices.
There is q range in retail prices for coal
for household use Of - cents, individual
dealers having raised from % cents to
S1.25. according to tho dealers views OF
what customers would stand. This dis
turbance in the coal trade and the pres
ence of Pinkerton men around the kead-
ING buildings and wharvcs constitutes
abont all the public can discover that is
unusual. The Pinkerton men have had
nothing TO do so far except show them
selves prominently.
RFAplyG. January G.-The coal deal
ers here have been informed 10y lndlyl-
dual producers that the prices OF smaller
sizes of coal used for domestic purposes
would be advanced 81 per ton Mt the
mines. but that they would be fully sup
piled if the Reading company would tur-
nish cars. Upon this latter point there
is considerable anxiety. According to
special published in the E0gte one OF
the individual collieries in Schnylklll
county has shut down because its pro-
prietors had been notified by the rail-
road company that the cars would not be
furnished il the advance OF per cent.
continued TO be paid. The proprietor OF
this colliery in communicating this intor-
nation to his miners denounced the rail-
road management, laid the entire blame
there. and offered to continue work II ms
men would waive the per cent. advance
until the strike ended, promising to set
tie the arreaages upon the basis OF
wages finally agreed upon. The men re-
iected this proposition and the MINES
Shut down. Some few of the railroad
company's mines are working with re-
duced force, but it is reported that the
company is stacking up coal at the
mines and is not forwarding 1t. None Is
being offered here to-day by the com
pany's sales-agents. One large mine at
Ashland suspended to-day because OF the
scarcity of surface employees. IL was
| paving upon the December basis pend
ip9 a settlement, but the strikers per
suaded so many of the outside employees
TO leave that the coal could not be
! handled after the miners had dug It and
a stoppage resulted.
SHENANDoAH, Pa, January 6.-So fnr
there has been no trouble between the
individual operators and their men rela-
tive to the handling OF their coal by the
Reading railroad company's non.union
employees. The conservative and lead
ing element Of Knights is opposed to
complicating the present situation and
endangering possible negotiations by
connecting the railroaders' strike with
that Of the miners. All the moral infiu-
ence and financial aid that the miners
can give they will extend heartily, but
the disposition is not to follow the
guidance of Chairman Lee, who they
say "talks too much without thinking.
They do rot want to lose the business
sentiment that is in their favor and
steadily growing, and which will mani
fest itself in a meeting of businessmen
here tomorrow to appoint delegation
to act in conjunction with Others from
the county towns to visit President
Corbin and urge on him the wisdom Of
arbitrating the present troubles, and
avert disaster for the general indus
trial interests OF the coal region and de
pendent communities.