Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-04
WILL NOT PAY MORE.
Coke Operators Have offered Their
Men the Only Terms They Can
Grant and Meet.
COMPETITION FROM THE OUTSIDE.
The Terms of the Sliding Scale Claimed to
Give the Workers Far the Best
of the Bargain.
COMPETITION FROM THE OUTSIDE.
Il. c. FRICK SCORES LABOR LEADERS.
Be Charges That Much of the Disturbance Is Due to
Their Hsrsnguing.


that the presence of troops in that section
will prevent rioting and the destruction Of
property, there yet remains the consiGera.
tion of how the whole matter is likely tc
end. Many thousands of dollars are al
stake on the issue on both sides; operator:
are seeking to reduce the cost Of
the product under that of last
wear. while the men demand an increase
in pay above the last years rate. From
what Pittsburg operators say on this matter,
and from the utterances of the labor leaders,
there is scarcely any hope OF an early adjust
ment of the difficulties.
Declare They Will Not Reeede.
There is one position from which the
operators say they Will not reeede, even had
they to cease making coke in support of it;
that is, any higher wages than those offered
under the sliding scale. This schedule of
wages places the price of mining at 81 per
100 bushels when coke sells at 81 20, and
provides for an advance OF cents
per 100 bushels for every 10 cents
increase in the selling price. 1t also pro-
vides that 81 per 100 bushels shall be lowest
price paid, the scale to run for three years.
This is Z cents per ton less than last years
rate In relation to this subject Gilbert
Rafferty,, of the Mcclure Coke Company,
was asked yesterday for an expression of his
views
"The rate of wages proposed under the
sliding scale, - he said, sis not alone fair TO
the men, but very much more to their ad-
vantage than il is to ours. In fact, it is so
much more reasonable an offer than the con-
ditions of the market and the circumstances
of the case warrant, that L myself would
have earnestly protested against its be-
ing offered had / been IN Pittsburg
when it was drawn no. Under it
81 per 100 bushels is the lowest price which
can be paid no matter how low the price of
coke may fall, and a proportiOnate advance
is given for every rise in coke above 81 75
per ton.
Where the Miners Have Best.
''You can see thar the miners have the ad-
vantage in every way. They cannot receive
less than 81 per 100 bushels. while the
onerator is tied TO that figure no matter how
much under 81 80 the price may drop"
But is there much likelihood of coke
falling below that figure?';
you must remember that the scale runs
for three years. and who is 10 foretell what
NAV occur in that period? l remember an
occasion when coke sustained a fall of 65
cents in half an hour We had a meeting,
and circumstances were such as TO bring
about the reduction. 1t must be remembered
shat the Connellsville operators do not make
all the coke that goes into the matter, and
that they have TO compete with those out
side. The rates in our region have been
steadily advanced during the last few years,
and sometimes when there was no excuse
for it, while the rates paid outside were not
advanced in proportion. We are no longer
able to pay higher wages than our neigh
bOrs do, and while we are desirous of paw
ing our men every cent they earn, we can
not paw more than will allow us to hold our
own in the open market. When the
Connellsville operators look around and
see the number of works which are being
run without the assistance of unions, and
consider the treatment they receive at the
hands of the labor leaders, is it not time for
them TO attempt to operate their plants with
Just as much freedom as to the source of
their labor, as their neighbors do?
When Settlement Could Occur.
1.-THE settlement Of the difficulty will occur
when the men are ready TO accept the terms
offered them under the sliding scale, and
not before. As far as the Mcclure Com
pany is concerned it will shut down its
works for six months before it will offer any
other terms We believe in paving our
men well and have always treated them
fairly, but this time they have, through
their leaders, taken 4 position we cannot
accept, and they must retreat from it..
II. c. Frick was seen during the after |
noon Yesterday. He expressed the opinion
that the presence o. troops in the region /
would have the effect of preventing further |
disturbances In reply TO the question as to |
the probabilities of q settlement, he re- |
piled:
1--WE are attempting to operate our plants
with men who are willing TO work for US at |
the rate of wage we have offered. and we |
should have had the Morewood plant |
in operation Yesterday ii the strikers
had not interiered We regard the |
terms offered under the sliding scale as
being fair, and we certainly don't !
see our way to make any improve !
ment upon the terms therein Of |
tered. We are not seeking to compel any,
one to accept this scale, and we believe that |
the men who have formerly worked for us /
are ready to accept it If permitted to do so |
by the men who claim to be their leaders.
Mr.. Frick Replies to Mr.. Watchorn.
''My attention has been called to an in |
terview in a morning paper wherein ex-Sec- /
retary Watchorn, of the Miners Union. is 1
reported to have charged that the present /
violence in the coke regions grows out of /
the attempt on the part of our company 1
TO compel Hungarians to go to |
work. Mr.. Watchorn is an appointee |
of Governor Pattison, and from his !
official position his utterances might be re- /
garded as coming from the Executive De |
partment OF our State, and therefore l think |
it worthy of reply. In this interview Mr. |
Watchorn also charges me with having |
imported thousands of foreigners, pronls-
ing them a sort of Utopia, and at
tempts to hold me, therefore, re-
sponsibe for their acts. Mr.. Watchorn |
well knows that this same charge was
made by the labor leaders in a former
strike, and at nv request a full investiga-
tion wa6 made OF it by the appointed repre-
sentatives of our \ National Government. He
also well knows that in this investigation
our company gave TO the Government full
access to all of its records and correspond
ence, and that a report was thereupon made,
and filed in Washington City, completely
exoneratinE both myself and our company
from these charges.
Challenge for Investigation.
with these facts so well aud personally
known to Mr.. Watchorn, l cannot imagine
any justification that he has for repeating
them, as they were untrue when originally
made, both as concerns myself and our
company, and he knows them to be untrue
now. And l am now ready and willing to
state that neither myself nor our company,
nor anyone on its behalf directly or ind!- |
rectly, assisted, procured or requested any
man to emigrate 10 this country, and if Mr..