The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-10-02
OPERATORS
ON STRIKE
tConcluded from Page IL

will permit him to increase his cost Of
mining as these same carrying compa-
MES demand he shall do to help them
settle the strike, or else he Is going out
Of business.
Do the carrying companies care a
great deal whether or not he goes out
OF business? The individual operator
figures It out that they dpn't In fact,
1t Is claimed by some of the individual
operators that they have been prac-
tically told by the carrying companies,
Get out Of business and we'll run your
mines for you IL we can get them at
sacrifice" The individual operator
is now threatened with being forced
to make this sacrifice or the other
equally as great, namely. to Increase
his cost of mining to point that will
leave no margin for profits, and In
some cases, not only no margin for
profits but positive loss.
The Individual operator, in a word,
Is between the devil and the deep
sea.
Another difficulty confronting the
fathers of the settlement plan Is the
hesitancy of the Delaware and Hudson
and Pennsylvania Coal companies to
subscribe to it. Superintendent Rose,
of the Delaware and Hudson. said he
had received instructions not to join
in the plan and the Pennsylvania Coal
companys representatives declare
they had received no instructions. one
way or the other, and could not commit
themselves. What this means. 1T Is
difficult to figure out. The only ex-
PLANTATION vouchsafed Is that the Della
ware and Hudson feels 1t can afford
to let its mines lay idle. and that
the Pennsylvania Is "non-committaf
because Of It's expectation that 1t VIII
ere long be allied with the individual
operators in the new road to tide
water, all OF which constrains the
Pennsylvania to move cautiously In
matter likely to engender active hos
tilities between coal carriers and in
dividual operators.
Those That Will Act.
The companies that have announced
that they will post notices this
morning, announcing the ten per
cent. and arbitration proffer, are the
I.ehigh Valley, Philadelphia and Read
ing. Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western. Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre,
and Hillside Coal and Iron company,
and Temple Iron company. The notice
reads as follows:
This company makes the following
announcement to It's mine employees:
1t will adjust it's rates of wages 80
as to pay to its mine employees on and
after October first, a net increase of
ten per cent. on the wages heretofore
received: and will take up with its
mine employees any grievances which
they may have"
This notice does not mean, as Is liable
to be interpreted at first blush, that
the miners are to be given a ten per
cent increase in wages and chance
for increasing this increase by the ar
bitratiOn of the other grievances. The
notice will be in effect that the price
of powder regulates the wage scale:
the price of powder Is to be decreased
to $l.50 a keg; this decrease in the
cost of powder is to be figured in as
part of the ten per cent. increase in
the rate of wages; the difference be-
tween the increase that the decreased
cost of powder will cause and the in
crease of ten per cent. that Is prOms-
ed, is to be made up by allowing a
better rate per car. The laborers and
other mine workers are to receive
ten per cent. incea ;e, fiat, on the
present SCHEDULE. In this region the
proposed decrease in the cost of pow
der means an eight per cent. increase
in wages. The other two per cent.
will be allowed on the car.
Speaking of yesterdays meeting, an
independent operator Of this locality
said:
"The men in New York fix the cost
Of coal and then fix the iSte of car
riage. Thus the individual operator Is
at their mercy. 1t means absolute ruin
for some of us unless both ends of the
contract are considered and we are
given a better rate for our COAL
ut is an unheard of thing in this
valley for the powers in New York to
interfere. Heretofore the mining SUPER
intendents of the great companies have
been delegated full power Of control in
all matters pertaining to anthracite
producing interests. The present. situ-
alton places these superintendents In
most unhappy position. Their control
is minimized and they can not deal as
they set out to do with the strike prob
lem. Neither they nor the individual
operators have been consulted in the
slightest degreee by the New York
parties who rule the anthracite world"
Went to New York.
A committee of independent oper-
ators went to New York last night to
confer with the presidents of the coal
carrying roads, with view of securing
a better allowance for their coal. If
they do not get what they want. the
individual operators say, they will be
forced to choose between closing up
their mines and abrogating their pres
ent agreement with the carriers, which
alternative would mean that the inde-
pendents would unite and give all their
product to some one carrier that would
be willing to pay them a fair price. At
present they are allowed so per cent OF
the tidewater prices. They insist thew
must have 65 per cent to make eve
for the increased cost of mining thar
would come with the acceptance by the