Evening star., 1899-04-13
THE MINE OWNERS SIDE
George W. schluederberg Before the Indus
trial Commission.
Praises the Work of Organized
Labor-sese., tie ONLY Relief From
Present Evils in n Trust.

Mr.. George w: Schluederberg, who rep
resents mining company in the Pittsburg
district which employs 1000 miners, con-
cluded his testimony before the Industrial
Commission yesterday afternoon. Mr..
Charles j. Harris led the examination of
the witness. He said the only objection
he had today to the unions was because of
the fact that they are not strong enough
to enforce conditions in competitive dis
tricts, the product of which enters the mar
ket against them. Strikes are injurious
to the miners, the operators and the COM
munity at large. Although the miners say
| they lose nothing by the strike they lose
their time, the operator loses the advan-
tage of operating his mine, while his fixed
charges go on and the community loses be-
cause of the 1essened purchasing power of
the men during the strike. He charged that
strikes had been brought on at times by
operators endeavoring to take advantage
of conditions to reduce wages, while on the
other hand the miners at times have struck
from very trivial causes. That applies to
the past, but since the interstate agree
ment controlled by the United Mine Work
ers these troubles had not been eXper-
fenced by the operator. Labor organiza-
tons make less trouble In bringing on
strikes than did the unorganized miners.
Since the miners and operators had become
fairer in dealing with each other and there
had been a better understanding between
them there had been less trouble.
When asked if operators and miners could
not combine to control prices, allowing the
operators to pay fair prices to miners and
yet receive fair profit, he said that might
be done If they could combine, but they
could never combine. He thought trust
covering the Pittsburg district might be
a good thing, as it might allow an advance
OF ten cents a ton on all coal, which would
permit the operators to pay fair price
for wages, and yet not oppress the con-
sumner and receive fair profit. He did not
expect greater increase than that in the
price because such an increase would re-
suit in the opening of other coal mines He
thought the proper way to form such a
trust would be for some combination with
enough money to buy up all the coal mines
in the Pittsburg district and operate them.
He did not think any combination could un-
dertake to buy up all the coal land in that
district for the reason that there was SO
much of it. Speaking of trusts Mr.. Schlue-
derberg said:
I'VE must either go with the spirit of the
time or sink. Therefore l am forced into
the belief that the only solution of the coal
business is in trust
The preceding witness had referred to the
New York and Cleveland Gas Coal Mining
Company of the Pittsburg district as being
the greatest factor In the reduction of
prices for coal. Mr.. Schluederberg declined
to comment on this company, saying he did
not desire to go into personalities. He
said the fact that the mine workers of
America were not able to extend their
prices to all portions of the Pittsburg dis
trict resulted in making it necessary for his
company to compete with others who pay
less wages, so they cannot compete with
them successfully even though they have
their men work with machines while the
competing party works men with picks.
Speaking of the strike of 1897 he said the
officials of the United Mine Workers en-
deavored to avoid that contest and so did
some of the operators, but a few operators
were obstinate. His company pays in cash,
which he thought was generally done in
the Pittsburg district.
Organized labor had helped to hold up
wages and had helped to raise the miner to
a higher plane.
He thought that at the rate coal has
been mined in the Pittsburg district during
the past ten years the coal there will be
exhausted in aseventy-tve years.
Cooperation and profit-sharing had al
ways resulted in failure In the Pittsburg
district.