The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-10
A SUGGESTION FROM
ATTORNEY !. H. BURNS
Editor Of The Tribune


Sir: AS everybody Just now seems
TO he interested in the question Of
strike or no strike, perhaps sugges-
tions may be in order, even from those
who do not understand much of the
actual mining of coal. As / under
stand it, one of the main questions of
difference between the miners and the
operators is the weighing or estimating
the amount Of coal in a mine car, as
it arrives at the breaker. Every
loaded mine car necessarily contains
some slate, rock, bone and dirt. AS
only the marketable coal is of value
to the operator, he objects to paying
for anything else.
If the amount of clear coal in each
mine car could be definitely ascer-
tained and credited to the man who
mined it there would be no difficulty.
Just here is the trouble. There may
be, say, six hundred cars hoisted at
the breaker, and this the work of a
hundred miners. 1t is impossible to
keep each miners coal separate. It
must all go in the rolls together. 1t
is also impossible to tell accurately
I how much coal and how much waste
is in each car. The best that can be
done under the present system is to
| estimate the amount of clean coal in
each mine car, and this is done by a
docking boss, who is an employe of
| the operator. However careful and
conscientious he may be in his work,
| it is likely to be unsatisfactory to the
| miners from the very fact that he Is
entirely under the control of the oper-
ator who furnishes his bread and but
| ter and can cut off the supply at any
! time.
A SUBSTITUTE.
Why is it not possible to substitute
| for this a system that would be exact
| and fair to the operator, and of which
| the miner could not complain?
My suggestion is that the miners be
paid on the basis of the clean coal as
| weighed in the big cars ready for
market. For instance, a breaker turns
out 10000 tons of clean coal for the
| month. This is the product OF 10000
mine cars, and the coal has been mined
! by 200 miners, and an account has
/ been kept of the number of mine cars
sent out by each miner, but there has
been no docking boss.
Suppose the agreement between the
operator and the miners is that the
| operator shall pay one dollar for each
ton of clean coal. The operator would
then owe the miners $4,000 for the
months work, and if the miners were
willing to trust to the honesty Of each
other each would receive one dollar
for each car he had mined. But sup
pose some of the miners say, I'VE had
more coal in our cars than some of the
others, and it is not fair that all
should be paid by the car without any
deduction" In reply to this the oper-
ator says, Il have nothing to do with
how much or how little coal there was
in each mine car. have receive (. ON
the mine 10000 tons of clean coal
which was weighed in the big cars
and you are at liberty to inspect the
weights. / owe you, as a body, $40, 900
which / am ready to pay. but YOU
must agree among yourselves as to
the amount that is due to each one OF
you.
ANOTHER WAY.
IF you are not willing that each
man shall be paid according to ia.
number of cars he sends out, then Sc.
lect one of your own number as dock.
ing boss. you TO pay him and he tC
be entirely under your control, and
will pay each of you on his certiflca 4
of the amount you have earned, tht
, total amount, of course, TO be the
i amount due for the whole number o
. tons of clean coal weighed in the bis
cars"
= The benefit of this plan seems to m,
TO he its apparent justice to both par
p ties. The operator pays for the exac
a | amount of clean coal he sends TO mar
, | ket, no more and no less, and tn
miner gets pay for every pound of Goa
: he sends out. What more can he ask
There is no chance for dispute be
tween the operator and miner, becaus
= the scales will not lie. The only pos
- sible dispute would be between tn
IL miners themselves, and this ought {
4 be easy of adjustment May it not
e worth a trial?
Another benefit of this plan woul
= be that the miner would do his yer
d best to get the largest possible amour
e Of coal in his six cars, because II
: would be paid for the coal and coul
thus earn more for his days work. ]
s would benefit the operator, because
: would not have to put so much roc
e and slate through the rolls Of HI
a breaker. l. II. Burns.
0 Scranton, Pa, Sept 9. 1900.