The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-09-19
WHAT OPERATORS SAY.
a strtement Is Issued by Presitlens
Garrett
CBy Associated Press !,

10y Associated Press
NEW YORK. Sept. IS-Jofn b Garratt
vlce-president of the Leh:sh Valley Coal
company, yesterday made the following
statement In review of the various grew
ances alleged by the United Mine work
ers to exist in the anthracite coal fields:
Inis company conducts no stores, nor
does 1t exert any influence upon employees
to prefer one merchant above another.
1h1s believe TO be also the case with the
large mining companies generally.
This company employees no doctors and
makes no charges against its employees
for medical services to them or.the!r fam
flies. Inquiry has satisfied me that this
is also the case with the companies gener-
ally and that the company doctor IS
charged for only individual operat tors.
and by very few of these
Seni-monthly pay IS observed by us In
few cases. 1t would be observed every-
where was the demand made as called for
by law. L may frankly state. however
that N my judgment more frequently
payment is undesirable for both the en-
ployer and the employee as paydays wher-
ever and as often as they occur. are fol-
lowed by decreased efficiency on the part
of the men, resulting in reduced time.
lessened output and, consequently, in
creased cost
The use OF the ton as applied to s.
SGD pounds is a misnomer; il IS simply a
unit of measure which might be called a
car or a carload OF by any other namo
and in the quantity of actual coal. plus
bone. slate and other foreign material,
for the removal of which certain pay
ment is made under the agreed scale OF
wages. 1t was probably originally adop-
Ted as representing approximately the
amount of crude material from what OF
prepared coal could be expected, but the
amount would necessarily vary at the
several mines and from the same mine at
the hands of different workmen-
I'h. price cfar getl fer powder is an APP
parent. but not a real. grievance. In some
regions s2.75 per key is charged. in ottsrs
$50 per kee. This of itself should be sufli-
Gent evidence that the compensation Of
the miner is set independently OF the price
OF powder. as 4 net return, for days
labor mu:t be essentially the same in
neighboring fields. whether one Or the
ot,.cl. price is charged for TIE powder.
IF man were valued at $50 per day
and With due care he would use kei,
of powder valued at s2.I5 in five days. the
days consumption OF powder, fifty-flve
cents. would be added to $50 and he
would be engaged on Il basis OF SOS per
day and charged with powder used at the
price agreed upon TIE same method IS
adopted IN fixing the price OF work paid
for the car. Another evidence that the
price OF powder does not create an In
iurv to the miner Is Shown by the fact
that when the subject was agitated some
time ago one OF the larger companies
offered 10 reduce the charge of powder to
its then current value. providing the men
would consent to such revision OF their
labor as they had previously received IN
der the agreement which was then opera
tive. This WAS promptly rejected. showing
ttat their purpose was TO effect an In
crease of wages. and that if this could
not be obtained they preferred TO main
tain the apparent grievance which could
be and has been from that time to this
used AS a ground OF complaint. OF unfair
treatment.
eliminating the foregoing alleged grew
ances from the list formulated by the
United Mine-Workers, nothing whatever
remains for a general demand for In
creased pay and recognition of the order
as the agency through which differences
should be adjusted. That the methods OF
the order are arbitrary and unjust is evil
denced by the inclusion in the list OF
grievances, of matters which are purely
local and apply to very few indeed OF the
Anthracite employees, while they put be-
fore the public as general grievances for
which the operators as a body are respon-
sb!e. and which they have no power TO
correct also. By their deterntna ton 70
nrovoke tens of Thousands OF men 20
strike who neither have nor profess 70
have any grievance whatever against
ttei- employers