Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-31
COOKERS STAND FIRM.
The 10000 Workers in the
Region Prepare for Fight
AGAINST SHAVING WAGES.
Secretary WatchOrn Speaks Out, Say
ing They Are in Earnest.
OPERATORS WHO DON'T BELIEVE 1T
Gigantic Coke Deal, Embracing q Wide
Range of Territory.
AGAINST SHAVING WAGES.
OPERATORS WHO DON'T BELIEVE IT
WHAT MASTER WORKMAN RAE SAYS


N. d. A. 1S5. knights of Labor, coal
miners and cokers, arrived in the city last
evening from his home in Columbus. This
morning he will leave for the Connellsville
coke region, where about 10000 men intend
to strike tomorrow.
Mr.. Watchorn was met at the Baltimore
and Ohio station by National Master Work
man John B. Rae, who will also leave Tor
the scene of impending trouble this morn
ing. Both gentlemen will attend mass
meeting of miners this evening at Morgan
station, near Broadford. The meeting will
be held to ratify the action of the delegate
convention to strike.
Mr.. Watchorn had just returned home
from Indiana, where 2, 400 miners are out
against reduction of wages. The men
have been out since April Is, and not one of
them has deserted the ranks. They are
being financially helped each week from the
treasury of the National District, which is
apparently in good condition. Speaking OF
the coming strike, Mr.. Watchorn said:
READY AND DETERMINED.
"As have been out in Indiana looking
after the wants of our men there, have not
had much chance to learn anything In re-
gard to the Connellsville men. under
stand there will be mass meeting at Con-
nellsville Thursday to rally the men, and
expect to be present We have plenty of
money to carry on the strike. If we had
nothing in the treasury we would not have
gone into the fight.
despite what the operators here claim,
there will be lockout after tomorrow. L
had hoped that the operators would hold a
conference and do something to settle the
trouble which is sure TO come. When the
men lay down their tools tomorrow night
(this EVENING" they do SO with the under
standing that they will not return in the
morning. The strike will only end in the
miners getting what they think is fair price
for their labor We were willing to have a
conference and settle the matter without
strike, but only one operator signihed his
willingness to be present"
A representative of the Frick Coke Com
pany said yesterday: 81 can hardly believe
the reports that there is to be a general
strike in the region. We have scale and
agreement with our men which will not ex
pire before January 81, 1890. By this scale
we are paying our men higher wages than
are being paid in other works. Both parties
to the agreement are bound to carry out the
terms agreed to, and it would be an unheard
of proceeding to have our employees back out
of it. If there is to be any conference be-
tween the operators at Connellsville to-
morrow have no notice of it, and have not
been invited to attend"
OBSTACLES AND A MIGHTY DEAL.
Another extensive operator, who would
not let his name appear, said: "We are
now paying 50 cents on 81 25 coke. When
coke was selling for 81 % per bushel the
scale price should be S5 cents. If the price
of our product went down 25 cents per
bushel, wages should also decrease cents
in proportion. If coke went up 25 cents we
would pay labor 80 cents.
"The market was forced from 81 25 to 81,
where it now is, but we did not reduce
wages. Consequently our men are running
cents more than they should. The letters
sent to us by our superintendeDts in the
region do not anticipate any strike through
out the coke country. One reason why 1
do not think the men are foolish enough to
quit work is the fact that there is so much
coke on the market None of the works
have been running full time and there are
hundreds of cars loaded awaiting purchas-
ers. One-half of our ovens are idle, aud on
those in operation we have been working
but four and five days of each week"
Negotiations have just been closed by the
j. w. Moore Coke Company, of this city,
for the purchase of S79 acres of coal lands
directly south of UnIontown. The prop
erty was formerly owned by about five or
six parties, and now makes Mr.. Moore the
second largest individual coke operator in
the ConneIlsville region.
HOW EXTENSIVE IT Is.
He now owns over 200 acres of the best
coal land in the territory, and about closes
the latter up. On the ground there are 20
ovens with 80 more in the course of erec-
tion. By July l of next year the new
owner expects to have 500 ovens in opera
tion on the tract. With what he has now
this will make him the sole owner of ,079
ovens altogether. Work on the new ovens
will be commenced at once. The purchase
about settles the rumor for good that Colonel
Moore was trying TO sell his coke interests
to the Frick Company.
In reply to the allegation that the Frick
scale ran to January 81, 1890, National
Master Workman Rae said last evening:
"It is true that Mr.. Frick has a scale, but
whose scale is it? 1t was made by less than
half q dozen men, who signed it without
any authority from Mr.. Frick's employees
They did not authorize the scale to be
signed, and had nothing to do with it.
There are several odious provisions in the
scale, which the ma jority of the men work.
ing for the Frick company want stricken
out. Because a few men got together and
signed the scale, the G, 900 or I, 900 men in
terested should not be expected 10 stand by
it. Coal miners are the last people in the
country to break any agreement, and if they
made one with MIR. Frick they would not