The morning call., 1891-04-03
Ignite COAL.
Strikes in the Mines May Cause
a Scarcity.

The receipts of coal at this port for the
past few weeks have been very large and
the price has consequently declined. to the
great del ght of the housekeeper and others
interested. During last month the arrivals
of ceal here aggregated il6, $50 tons, against
81, 30 tons for the month of March, 1890,
and S4,270 tons for March, 1889. All the
different yards and bunkcrs here are filled
with the commodit7, and it is expected that
prices will 20 down lower still. Something
however, that may check this downward
tendency, is til fact that the men are on a
strike in nearly all the coal mines in Oregon
and Washington.
From telegraphic adviees received from
Marsh1ield, Oregon, it IS learned that on
Wednesday morning the Oregon Coal and
Navigation Company, whose mines are To-
Gated three miles from that place, reduced
the wages of some of its employees, and the
men went on strike. About 2j0 men were
affected by the strike. At the Office of the
company here IL was learned that no notice
had been received Of the strike except that
contained in the newspapers. The company
has lots of coal on hand both in the bunkerS
here and in those at Coos Bay. It's two
steamers. the AragO and Arcata. are now
laden at Coos Bay and are bar bound there.
When they succeed in getting cut they will
no doubt bring down full reports of the
cause Of the strike and how it is progressing.
MINERS ON STRIKE.
kilograms were received yesterday at the
office of the Oregon Improvement Company
in this city, stating that strike has occurred
among the men employed in their Newcastle
mine, which is situated about twenty miles
east of Seattle. This viii throw between
400 and 500 men out Of work. The Franklin
mine, owned by the company, in the same
s-N.l -.
last September, the men having gone on
strike ON account of some of their demands
not being acceded to. The miners recently
struck, too, at the Gilman mine, in the same
locality. The mine is owned by the Seattle
Coal and Iron Company.
These strikes threaten to cut off the entire
supply of Ignite Goals, which are the cheaper
grades furnished to this market for domestic
and steam use, as all that kind of coal comes
from the mines mentioned, excepting little
that is shipped here from the Cedar River
mine.
In conversation with a CALL reporter
yesterday a gentleman who is interested in
the mines up north said: THE cause Of
these difficulties seem to be the demands OF
the miners organization as to the manage
meDt of the labor and the properties, the
rate OF wages and the hours of working.
FURTHER DEMANDS.
"The mine-nwners have conceded some
now the miners have demanded other
things, made peTemptory requests, which
the mine-Owners refused, hence the strike.
The men want to control the mine them
selves and dictate what bosses shall be en-
ployed and so forth and practically run it as
If il were their own property. The strike
at the Gilman mine commenced two weeks
since and 1t seems to be a stubborn fight
with DO immediate prospect of either side
yielding"
A number of ccal-dealers were seen yes
terday and some of them said that if the
difficulties at the Seattle and Coos Bay
mines continue for long period it will have
a tendency to stiffen the market rates of
coal, just as the strikes in the Wellington
and Australian mines OF last summer made
high rates in the fall. These troubles in the
north will tend to check the downward
course Of rates that have recently prevailed
in foreign grades with which the market
WAS temporarily Overst0ckcd.
One prominent dealer on East street said
that he did not think the local market would
be at all affected by the strikes as the re-
celpts from there would not average more
than 10000 or 1900 tons per month, and
there was any amount Of coal here now and
on the way to supply the deficiency.