The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-05-04
A RAILROADS. SCHEME
True Inwardnaas of the West vir-
ginia Coal Miners Strike.
A QUESTION OF FREIGHT RATES.

Mine Owners sympnthize with Their Em-
ployes In the Struggle for Living Wages,
but Cannot Pay the Rate Demanded on
Account of Exorbitant Railroad Charges.
CHARLESTON, w. Va, May 4.-Accord-
ing to statement well vouched for the
strike now on in the Elkhorn region is tho
result Of scheming on the part of the Nor
folk and Western railway, begun over q
year ago, when the general mining strike
and coal famines swept over the country.
1t was then openly charged that Presi-
dent Mcbride, of the Mine Workers
union, had been induced by F. J. KIM
bell, then president and now one of the
receivers Of the Norfolk and Western, to
keep the labor organizations out Of the
Flat Top region and to allow them to
run, for which, the charges were, Mcbride
received substantial compensation.
These charges were openly made against
Mr.. Mcbride in the labor organizations.
but he was cleared.
The Norfolk and Western during that
strike shipped more coal than ever before,
the western railroads being compelled to
buy from 1t at increased prices Whilo the
road was enjoying the great coal boom
caused by the famine, and getting more
than before for their coal, they demanded
OF the operators reduction of from IS to
&C cents. The operators refused to put it
at 20 cents, but agreed to let it come down
to 20 cents. This the road would not ac-
cept, and the matter hung fire for some
time.
Finally, under some clause In the con-
tracts with the railroad, the operators saw
their right to arbitrate all differences Of
this kind, and the matter was laid before
board OF arbitration that met in Phila-
delphia last summer The question was
whether the railroad was justified at that
time in making the demand for reduc-
ton on account OF the price of coal in the
market at that time After some weeks,
when 1t became evident that the boards
award would be against them, the railroad
summarily withdrew from the arbitration,
which action naturally dumped the whole
business. The result was the road re-
newed its peremptory demands for the
reduction, and finally u compromise of
7212 was affected, which price remained in
vogue until the first part Of tho present
year, when Mr., Kimbell, of the Norfolk
and Western, notified the operators that
another cut had to be made March |.
In the meantime the railroad went into
the hands of receivers, and the legislature
had passed law forbidding railroads
dealing in coal. OF course, the Norfolk
and Western went out, and the operators
employed the company's old sale agents
Cessen d Curran, of Philadelphia, to
carry on their business. The question Of
freight rates then came into prominence
and their adjustment from the Flat Top
regions to tidewater is the present bone OF
contention. The'recclvers of the railroad
demanded Co per cent. of the selling price
of coal at Tidewater leaving the operator
80 per cent, which would yield to coal
companies about 63 cents per ton at
mines.
The mine owners claim they cannot pro-
duce coal at this price, and that the rail
road company or its receivers were not
justified in demanding tl.25, having
shipped thousands of tons at 80 cents, in
some instances as low as 40. They have
accordingly been compelled to close their
mines or reduce wages greatly, so us to
meet the price arbitrarily fixed for the re-
ceivers of the railroad They understand
that their employees cannot afford to stand
reduction, and have no quarrel with
them, and are interested in compelling
the railroad 20 carry the coal at such rate
as will continue to allow them to pay the
old scale of wages and realize 721S cents
on every ton. The miners on New River
are getting S7M cents for the same coal.
This is a very important strike, and its
outcome will affect every coal man in the
Rtate