The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-08
WHY HE CANNOT SIGN
THE PROPOSED SCALE
Individual Operator Figures That He
Would Conduct His Colliery at
Loss of $7s,2 if He Did.

An individual operator who has
holdings north of Scranton and in
other parts of the anthracite coal
field. yesterday made the following
statement with reference to the de-
mand made by the miners:
"Our vein is under five feet thick
and would therefore come under the
eighty-one and a half cents per ton
rate. AS I understand It, 2240 pounds
as it comes from the mine shall con-
constitute a ton. Twenty-Five hun
and forty pounds as it comes from
the mine will not make over two-thirds
of a ton. all sizes, ready for market,
when free from impurities and ground
to sizes as required by consumers.
Fighty-one and half cents for two
thirds of a ton would equal S1.22A per
ton. In addition to this, the scale for
slate and bony above six inches thick
would cost about forty-five cents per
lineal yard. AS we get eight tons per
yard, this would be a charge of five
and five-elghts cents per ton. The
yardage on ordinary gangways and
airways under the schedule would be
| an additional fifteen cents per ton.
Company work, outside and in, would,
cents per ton. Bills, taxes, insurance,
| etc, averaging about fifteen cents per
ton. Royalties, thirty cents.
This would bring the cost of our
coal with royalties, etc, all sizes, to
about $2.37 per ton. The price received
last month at the breaker was $1.76.
Thus bringing the cost of the coal to
| fifty-thre cents per ton above the
1,
! out adding anything for interest on
cost of plant and sinking fund to
| pay for the same by the time the mine
| is exhausted. 1 mined 1900 tons last
month. The net loss on the opera
| tion under the proposed schedule
would be s6.519, or S7S,22S per year. As
my circumstances are not such as to
warrant me in entering on 30 expen-
sive an enterprise, I must decline to
sign the scale suggested.
"A strike at this time, when con-
| tracts are being made by steam users
| for their fuel supply for the season
would mean the sacrifice of our an
thracite market to the bituminous
miner and shipper, and no doubt
would be pleasing to the latter.
IF this trade is once lost, it means
years of labor to get it back and con-
Sc Qlently a loss of fifty per cent. of
our pea and ninety per cent. of our
! buckwheat trade tonnage, not to say
anything Of the loss of trade on other
sizes, not only for this season, but for
some years to come.
Figuring the total anthracite ton
mage for the working season 19OO-19O1
to be 45,000000 tons; the pea twelve
per cent. and buckwheat sixteen pei
cent. of the whole production, on this
basis the total anthracite pea and
buckwheat trade tonnage lost would
approximate 100000 tons. In order t.
be fair, we will divide this by two, ol
45OO,O 900 tons, more than one months
total production at full time for all the
anthracite mines. 1t would not only
be a loss 70? this year, but would take
years to regain it, If, indeed, it coult
ever be entirely gotten back.
1.-The contention in the past has no
been that wages were not satisfactory
but that on account Of the increased
capacity to produce anthracite coal
they We're not permitted to perform thu
number of days labor that they die
when there We're less openings. Their,
is more anthracite coal being pro
duced at this time than at any tim,
during the past decade"