The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-19
England's Great Coal Strikes Ended


The agreement reached on Friday at tn,
| conference Of mine owners and miners is
triumph for the GLADSTONE Government
and particularly for Lord RosEBERY. who
presided over the meeting. and who, al
though he did not disguise his sympathy
for the men on strike, prevailed upon the
owners of the collieries to make the neces.
| sary concessions. The result OF the con.
| ference has been to put an end. temporarily
! at least. to one of the greatest strikes ever
| witnessed In England a strike which has
brought scores OF thousands OF miners.
together with their wives and families, to
the verge OF famine. and which. by signally
increasing the price OF coal. has spread suf-
fering among the poor all over England,
and has seriously crippled the whole ma
chnery of industry. According to the ar
rangement concluded. the miners will
resume work Immediately at the old rates.
and continue to obtain them until Feb. 1,
1894. after which n Board Of Cancellation,
made up Of fourteen mine owners and four
teen delegates Of the miners. are to decide
what reduction, II any. should be made.
It Is evident that all the diplomatic skill
and influence OF Lord RosEBERY were
needed to induce the mine owners to pay
the old rates OF wages. even for the short
period Of about ten weeks which will inter-
vene before February next. For some
hours they stood out firmly for an immedi-
ate reduction Of ten per cent. and. II they
finally yielded on this point, they did SO,
doubtless. in the hope that 1t would event.
ually be conceded. Their reasons for insist
ing that they cannot afford to pay the
wages demanded by the miners have lately
been set forth In tho Spectator. and sup
ported by an array Of statistics which cover
the last eight years. and the accuracy
OF which cannot seemingly be i'm
peached. These statistics arc drawn
from the books Of largo COL
lery. which the oditors of tho news
paper named have been invited to inspect.
1t seems that in the latter part of 1895 the
earnings Of fifty OF tho best men at this
colllery were So per day. while the earnings
OF fifty Of the worst men were but 81 per
day. The average earnings of the whole OF
the Golfers employed was Sl.49 a day. For
the same period the selling price Of coal at
the pits was Sl.3G per ton, and the cost per
ton for wages alone WAS rs cents, SO that
the workpeople got at that time moro than
one-half Of the realized sales Of coal at tho
pit We should note hero that the realized
price ut tho pit means the average sales OF
round and small. The small nearly always
sells FOR less per ton than the cost Of wages,
and. in deep pits. the small 10 II large per-
centage Of the whole. often 40 to so per cont.
The first rise OF ten per cent. took place in
November, 1883, and in March of the follow
Ing year the realized price of coal at the Dit
was Sl.3S per ton, and the cost Dor ton for
wages alone was 10 cents, leaving only so
cents per ton for all other expenses. In July,
1889. five per cent. rise in wages took place,
and this was followed by another rise of the
same amount In October of tho same year.
In January. 1890. there was another advance
OF ten per cent, and In March and August
OF the same year two advances Of five per
cent. each. making In all 40 per cent. adj
vance since the latter part of 1885. After
tho full 40 per cent. rise had been In opera
ton about month. viz, In September, 1890,
the average earnings OF the colliers were
s1.96 per day; at the same period the real
lied price OF coal per ton at the pit was S204,
and the cost for wages per ton was 81 05,
leaving ninety-nine cents for all other
charges The year 1890 was one Of great
prosperity IOr cOlllcry oWnerb, ab we'll as
for the miners, but subsequently the price
of coal fell steadily until, in July OF this
year, notice was given Of a reduction OF
wages. At this time. although fifty OF the
bost men averaged 50 per day, fifty OF the
worst averaged only $102; the average
wages OF all the golfers per day being S1.7S
Meanwhile, the price realized for coal per
ton Mt tho pit had fallen to $l.6l, and the
cost for wages alone per ton was found to
be $1.Os; 80 that last July the miners were
getting moro than two-thirds of the realized
priceof coal, leaving only tifty-three cents
to the proprietor to pay for royalties,
taxes and rates, timber. coal used at the col
liery, management. agency, and other Incl
dental expenses, to say nothing OF interest
on capital and borrowed money.
Under those circumstances tho miro
owners OF Lancashire and Yorkshire agreed
that it was impossible to keep ,heir col
lierles open without reduction Of ut least
ten per cent. In the rate OF wages, which
they accordingly declared. The miners, on