New-York tribune., 1900-10-04
NONE RETURN TO WORK.
OFFER OF INCREASED WAGES HAS NO
EFFECT
Lnr rrLrdnArH no rHh rn1nuNE.l


Wilkesbarre. Penn. Oct 3.--It was expected
that the first effect of the 10 per cent advance
notices on the strikers would be seen to-day.
These notices posted at the Lehigh VAL
ley, Lehigh and wikesbarre, and Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western collieries yesterday.
too late for the men to accept If they desired.
Not a man offered to return TO work, and the
companies are no better off than they were
before. They hardly expected any stragglers
from the ranks of the strikers, however, so their
disappointment was not great The notices were
merely the announcement of the companies
Willingness to give the men an increase, and a
lead for the other companies to follow If they
desired So far none of them have done so,
and 1t is not expected that they will The Penn
sylvanis, Susquehanna and the Delaware ana
Hudson are holding aloof, and the individual
operators are determined to make fight for
q higher price of coal before granting an In
crease which they say they cannot afford.
They sell their coal at the breakers to the rail
road companies for go per cent Of the price at
tide water and they declare they must have
co per cent in order to grant 10 per cent in
crease. They expect that the coal carrying
roads Will raise the price at tide water in order
to meet the increase they offer the men, They
are making a vigorous fight, but are at the
mercy of the big companies.
The offer of the companies to the miners of 10
per cent net advance and powder at 81 % keg-
the 10 per cent advance to be figured as part of
the reduction in the price of powder-is too COM
plicated for the lay mind to understand and
many miners have been unable to figure it out
After numerous explanations. none Of which
were clearly reported, the coal companies to-
day gave out a statement explaining 1t. 1t is
based on an estimated price of 81 a car. which
with most companies is about the average. ana
allows five kegs of powder to a hundred cars OF
pna Ghn
for one hundred of COAL and his expenses
would be about 81 for supplies tool sharpening,
etc; S13 75 for powder at 81 70 keg. and So2 IA
TO his laborer, making his total expenses SAT 50
and leaving him net profit of S02 IL. This is
the present rate. Under the new offer the sup
would be, at ST 30 a keg 81 80 and the laborer.
at 10 per cent increase, would be $50 80. making
a total expense of S44 81. This would leave
him it stands a gain Of S3 O4, the expenses
being so much less. But this is based on the
same price car, 81. and as it is not 10 per
cent increase the company has to pay more for
the in order to make this increase, and the
price is raised to 81 02h a car The operators
explain this briefly by saying that in time the
price a would be fixed so that the miners
could earn just 10 per cent more than they get
now but at present, owing to the different prices
a car in different collierfes it would be work
of time before fixed rate could be made.
The increase would sometimes be little less
than 10 per cent and at others more
Everything quiet in this region to-day, the
men resting after the parade of yesterday. A
striker named Charles Martus. who shot by
a watchman at the Clear Spring Colliery last
Friday night, died of his wounds this after
noon. He was trying to enter the company
store when he was seen. He ran and was shot.