St. Paul daily globe., 1892-03-13

legislative enactment of an eiglrt-lfeur
day. The miners of the National union
prefer to let the labor day settle or
''evolve" its own duration. The action
OF the Durham miners promises to
cause
A PrOtraeted Strike.
in that county, as the mine owners
there declared that if the men stopped
work at their own convenience they
would not be employed again. except at
a reduction of 1917 per cent. To put
the sO-called ''strike" briefly, the ques-
tion at issue between owners and miners
eral solutions of it. The question was a
owners proposal of reduction was met
by fiat refusal on the part of the men;
in others it was met by a counter-pro-
poSal to reduce temporarily the number
of weekly working days to five; in 9th
erS again it was met by the proposal to
stop work altogether for certain time.
The second and third proposals were
based on the principle that reduction
of output would, by causing rise in
prices. Obyiate the necessity of reduc-
lion in wages. The third proposal is
that which the federation has adopted.
The membership of the federation is
enormous. 1t comprises about 20S, 900
miners, OF whom 100000 are
Bottom Workers,
the remaining 5000 being employed on
the surface, or at the pit bank, as it is
called. This vast number of workers is
scattered over the coal pits of Y Yorkshire,
Lancashire. DerbyShire, Nottingham,
Staffordshire, Somerset, Gloucester
shire, Cumberland, Leicestershire and
North Wales. The federation dele
gates who met some time ago at the Man
chester conference represented 175,000
working miners. The conference to be
held on Wednesday next will take place
in London.
The statements that the strike will
last week and fortnight are little
more than guesses. There is a special
and Immediate reason for selecting Lon
don as the place for the next conference
named, in the expected parliamentary
Parrott, a leader in the federation, in
speaking of the demand for an eight
hour day, said: The choice lies between
a parliamentary act and recourse to
strikes. We want to avoid the harsh
and costly plan of strikes. In agtating
for the eight-hour day, we are consult
ing the owners interests as we'll as our
own. Only an act can protect those
owners who are willing to try the eight
hour day against their rivals who are
opposed to limitation, legi slative or 9TH
erwise." Another scheme of the fedora
ton is
To Rescue Women
from the rough, demoralizing and un-
economic labor at the pit mouth. The
main question at issue in Durham and
Northumberland was not whether the
output should be reduced, but whether
the men should accept the owners offer
of reduced wages. TO the first offer of
reduction of 10 per cent, the men re-
piled with the threat of strike. They
were almost unanimous in rejecting the
suggestion Of arbitration, and their ac-
tion today shows that they intend to-
fight the masters with the only weapon
at their handS-a strike.
Hitherto most of the water used by
the miners and their families in their
household and other duties has been OBJ
tanned from the mines, the pumps there
furnishing them with all abundant
supply. 1t is now feared that a water
famine will follow the cessation of
work. The women and children are
procuring water from every available
source. and storing it in all manner and
kind of receptacles in their houses. The
miners have plenty of coal, as the mas
ters have allowed them to provide them
selves with liberal supplies.