Birmingham state herald., 1895-10-15
THE WARRIOR STRIKE.
A Correspondent Gives the Cause of the Trou blen Detail-Their Position Supported
 by the Best Citizens,

Warrior, Oct. 14.-(Special Corresponds
 ence.)-Your Sunday paper contains an
 article from correspondent which
 places the miners on a strike at Warrior
 in rather bad light and I beg space to
 contradict some of the statements made.
 It is true that the miners were being
 paid 50 cents per ton and that they are
 demanding 70 cents per ton. The Pratt
 mines price for digging coal is 45 cents
 per ton, but the difference in the size of
 the two veins of coal Is the reason why
 the Warrior men demand so much moro
 than the Pratt mines men receive. The
 coal at Warrior runs from feet inches
 in thickness to feet inches, besides
 band of dirt which averages from to
 Is inches In thickness The Pratt mines
 coal runs from to feet in thickness,
 with only few inches of dirt, sometimes
 none at all. When the Pratt mines scale
 was 45 cents ton two years ago, as it is
 now, the Warrior price was 70 cents
 ton. During the latter part of 1893 the
 Warrior men got reduction of 10 cents
 ton, and again at the beginning of 1894
 got another reduction of 10 cents leav-
 ing the price 50 cents. The Pratt mines
 scale was reduced from 45 cents to 371g
 cents after the strike, which concluded
 in August, 1894. Since that time the Pratt
 scale has come back to 45 cents through
 the increased business in the iron mar
 ket. It will thus be seen the Warrior men
 Were reduced some time before the rest
 of the miners in the county, and where
 every mine in the state has received an
 advance back to the old figure of 1893 the
 Warrior men have received none. The
 Warrior coal is much harder to dig than
 PrattS and the men cannot make liv-
 ing at 50 cents. The difference in the
 size of the veins causes the difference in
 price to make up for the disparity in con-
 ditions
 It is absolutely untrue that the "5OO
 miners have lost an average of s60 each
 during the thirty days past an aggre-
 gate of $30,000.' The average per man
 for the last month worked at Warrior be- fore the strike was only $15 per month per man.. This may seem incredulous, but it is nevertheless true. During the
 past year the average at Warrior has not been over $20 per month. What fools these men at Warrior must be to strike for an advance in wages when they are already making $60 per month. There is no mine in this state where the average per man will reach $60 per month, and then the Warrior coal field except ore mine, is behind all the rest of the state. The mine mentioned is one where the advance demanded has been given since the strike began.
 Your correspondent also states that "meager supplies for strikers are being sent up from sympathizers at other DOlHlS. dIfl III d pOSlIlOn to hHOW lHdL during the past two weeks supplies for the Warrior strikers have been far from meager, and although only bread and meat may be forthcoming in the supplies, yet plenty of that is on hand, with more to follow.
 I wish to state that miners any more than any other class of workmen do not strike for fun, nor do they suspend work and see their wives and children suffer because there is any hilarity or amuse- ment in the proceeding. They strike be- cause necessity drives them to it. as my | figures will show. Negotiations were go- ing on for one month between the men and the operators before the strike was called, in the hope of settlement being made but as none was reached the men were forced to take the step they did. In conclusion I will state that advices from Warrior tell me that not over sixty
 men are at work, who are leaving as fast as they can. The merchants at Warrior, the farmers of that vicinity and the min CTS of the state are supporting the War; rior strike, because they know their grievance is 8 just one, and if your cor respondent was an unbiased one the facts Ihave given would have been sent by him and not such statements as the article l in your paper contains. Respectfully yours, WILLIAM MAILLY.