The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-07
MINERS WANT FREE COAL
THEY FIND THAT PROTECTION
FAILS TO PROTECT.

OA% ~@NNC~~ w.
Strike.
PHILADELPHIA Jan 6.-At a meeting
last night of Local Assembly No. $500,
Knights of Labor, composed of Reading
railroad employees, the following preamble
ana resolutions were adopted:
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia and Reading Rail
road Company in presenting the difficulties
which they have forced upon their employees
and engaging immigrants TO fill places they
have caused us to vacate; and
WHEREAS The company is protected from
foreign competition by a protective tariff on
coal which we have fondly believed for years
was intended to benefit American labor; and
WHEREAS, We, as citizens of the republic,
believe the laws should be impartial, and that
no laws should be enacted which confer special
privileges upon any class of citizens; therefore
be it
Resolved, That in the coming 9election for
Congressman we shall support only those men
who are pledged to vote to repeal the tariff on
coal.
TRAINS RUNNING REGULARLY.
So 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 road.
Passenger traffic was not at any time in
volved in the strike, and the company has
been forming new crews of freight train
men, and freight and coal handlers out of
employees who stuck to the company, and
such skilled and unskilled labor as has been
offered them in abundance, until now
the company does not admit that
it is at all Inconvenience. This statement
applies also to its great coal depot at Port
Richmond and its coal transfer station at
Elizabethport, where coal is not stored, but
is mer ly transferred from cars to wafer
transportation. The great decrease in the
volume of coal-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
mines, perhaps less.
PRICES RAISED
In anticipation of a scarcity in the near
future, the retailers have all raised prices
There is a range in retail prices for coal for
household use of 75c., individual dealers
having raised from soc. to Sl.25, accord
ing to the dealers view of what the custo-
rlers would stand. This disturbance in the
coal trade, and the presence of Pinkerton
men around the Reading buildings and
wharves, constitute about all the public can
discover that is unusual. The Pinkerton
men have had nothing to do so far, except
to show themselves prominently.
Secretary Litchman, of the Knights of
Labor, reports that the payments from the
local assemblies of the January tax are
pouring in.
CHARGES OF THEFT.
The provisional committee of the Knights
of Labor has decided at last upon a plan by
which its object can be attained and the
general officers of the Knights of Labor
be condemned or exonerated as the issue
of the case may result Legal
measures have been decided upon, and
acting on the advice of one of the best
known jurists of this city, a suit in equity
will shortly be instituted. The bill is being
prepared, and the provisions contain
charges of peculation and general mis-
management against some Of the general
officers. At the last meeting of the Pro-
visional Committee, a subcommittee of
costs involved in carrying the
case through the court of
equities and to engage counsel. The COM
mittee reported that it had waited upon
some of the best legal talent of this city and
that the first cost would be payment of
81, 600 as a retaining fee. This announce
ment rather Disconnected the members of
the Provisional Committee, but contribu-
tion plan was quickly formulated and will
be made public at the next meeting.
ADVANCED AT THE MINES.
READING. PA, Jan. Coal dealers here
have been informed by individual producers
that the prices of the smaller sizes of coal
used for domestic purposes would be ad-
vanced 81 per ton at the mines, but that
they would be fully supplied if the Reading
Company would furnish cars. Upon this
latter point there is considerable anxiety
According to a special published in the
Edgle, one of the individual collier
les in Schuylkill county has shut
down because its proprietors had been
notified by the railroad company
- - 4 -
the advance of S per cent continued
TO be paid The proprietor Of this colliery
in communicating this information to his
miners, denounced the railroad manage
ment, laid the entire blame there, and
offered to continue work if his men would
waive the per cent. advance until the
strike ended promising then to settle
ar'rearages upon tue basis of wages fiually
agreed upon. The men rejected this propo-
sition and the mine shut down Some few
of the railroads company's mines are work
ing with a reduced force, but it is reported
that the company is stacking up coal at
the minesAnd is not forwarding it, None
is being offered here to-day by the company's
sales agents. One large mlne at Ashland
suspended to-day because of a scarcity of
surface employees. 1t was paying upon the
December basis pending a settlement, but
the strikers persuaded so many OF the out
side employees to leave that coal could not be
handled after the miners had dug it and a
stoppage resulted.
A FEW FURNACES SUPPLIED.
There are some forty furnaces located
along the line of the Reading railroad, and
to-day. after much correspondence, the
Reading Coal and Iron Company supplied
some of the most needy furnaces with coal
but at an advance of Soc. per ton, delivered
at Schuylkill Haven. The rate for years
was 81 20, but to-day it was advanced to So
per ton This will result in an in
creased cost for producing pig iron
and may prevent Eastern Pennsylvania
manufacturers from competing with fur
naces where both coal and labor are cheap,
or it may result in closing down the fur
naces. More discharges Of rcilroalers en-
ployed in the coal carrying trade were
made here to-day. The total number dis
charged from Philadelphia to Williamsport
is estimated at 1000.
THE PENN MINE AT WORK.
PoTTsvILLE, PA, Jan. 6.-The report
given out at Chairman Lees headquarters
Yesterday that the William Penn, private
colliery at which an advance had been con-
ceded, had stopped in support of the rail
readers strike proves to have been
unfounded The miners are still at
work there, and there will be no
cessation on the ground stated, nor will there
he at any of the individual collieries now
working under the advance. In fact, al
though Chairman Lee continues to insist
A,n+ tbo ,,,ira,.- will Gland Ct1f ayav, in the