Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-04-27
The Coal Miners Strike.

Composite causes figure in the great
strike Just inaugarated in the soft coal fields
that directly affects 10000 men, nearly
all of whom have obeyed the order OF the
Executive Board of the United Mine work
ers' Association and quit work. The basis
Of the strike Is the resolution OF the late
national convention of the association de-
claring it to be the purpose Of the general
suspension to restore the scale of prices Tor
mining and the conditions of employment
which prevailed at the beginning OF the
present scale year.
It simplifies matters to know that the
scale of the year in contention was 20 cents
ton, which was paid in Indiana, Ohio
and West Virginia, but nowhere in Penn
sylvania, but which reductions placed at
IS cents ton in the three States named
as low as IS cents in this State. No av-
erags coal price has been over As cents
and in some spots it has been 80 cents.
The bituminous section of Pennsylvania
is represented in Clearfield, Jefferson, Cam
bria, Indiana, Butler, Westmoreland, Fay
cite, Elk and Somerset counties. These
counties haye 1,0s1, 100, or about one-fifth
Of the population Of the State. In certain
territory, notably Fsyette, Allegheny and
Westmoreland, the soft coal product is
taken up in the coke ovens that ship an
average of 10000 cars a week to the
markets Of the country. In other parts
like Clearfield and Jefferson the soft coal
is the best known for the steamship trade.
It is confined to few operators supplying
Buffalo, Rochester and New York city.
The Cambria, Indiana, Elk, Butler and
Somerset trade 10 with railroads and the
iron furnaces, an outlet of the most i'm
portant character.
Without doubt the mischief-maker in all
these fields is the walking delegate Of the
local body connected with the United Mine
Workers. This delegate has been numer-
GUS in every centre where the miner ap-
pears to have exclusive control as an in
dustrial force. Two weeks ago it was con-
sidered important to enlist the counties
independent Of the coke section in the
strike project, and to accomplish this the
delegate decided to give special attention
to populous communities like Reynolds
vile, Punxsutawney. Dubois and Houtz-
dale in the clearfield region.
Two reductions had been made on the
scale in almost as many weeks, but the
miners appeared satisfied to assist the op-
orators, who claimed to have lost their
best market by competition. The Cambria
situation was similar, the mining price of
As cents ton net having been reduced to
IS cents because the Du Bois operators
had too great an advantage and undersold
the Cambria operators. The 50 mines in
Northern Cambria are in the strike solely
on that account, and the 1853 mines in the
Clearfeld end are in the movement with
out any other apparent design than the
one laid out by the walking delegate,
whose instance has been that the United
Mine Workers wanted a general suspen-
sion.
At 35 cents ton soft coal mining Is
very profitable TO the OPERATOR They
are able TO secure reasonable return un-
der the 70 cent scale. which has rarely
been paid in this State during the past ten
years. In strike Of the magnitude now
before the State as o condition to be met