Waterbury Democrat., 1902-06-23
GricYc, BiSSet X Holland

there were produced 47o.45 to.s lo each person employed, or for each day the mines were in operation 2.36 tons were produced per employee, thus showing conclusively that instead of a deterioration there was a decided i'm provement in the productive capacit, of the men after they became thorough ly organized.
 The railroad presidents contend that they cannot increase wages without making corresponding increase in the selling price of their product to the con sumer and have accused the mine workers of suggesting proposition that would impose hardship upon the public by increasing the market price of coal 10 cents ton, the amount that would have been required to meet all the demands made by the miners. However, their solicitude for the public veal has not deterred them from ad- vancing the market price of their coal more than $1 per ton since the strike was inaugurated without giving any paE$ of this increase to the mine work CTS. In SubStantiatiOn of our claiEa that the coal companies can afford to pay increased wages to the mine work CTS without increasing the cost of coal to consumers we submit the following extracts from the government reports showing the selling value of coal load ed on cars at the mines for the eleven years beginning with 1890 and ending with 1900 as compared withsd901.
 The average home value of all coal mined and sold during this period was $1.48 per ton, while press bulletin recently issued by Charles D. Walcott, director of the United States geological survey, says that for the year 1901 ''the increase in the value of the an thracite product received at the mines showed a gain of $27. TAG, ,169, or more than 31 per cent, over that of 1900. The average price for the marketed anthra cite coal-that is, the product shipped to market or sold to local trade-was $1.S7, the highest figure obtained since 1SS8." In other words, while, accord ing to President Olyphant, 13 cents per ton represents the operators increased cost of production in 1901, 39 cents per ton as compared with 1900 represents the increased value of the product to the operators. In view of the fact that this enormous increase in the selling price of coal has been extorted from the consumer by the coal trust can any one say that the demands of the miners for small portion of the in- creased wealth their labor has pro- duced are unreasonable or unWarrant- ed?
 Further evidence of the ability of the coal mine operators to pay increased wages is found in the sworn testimony of MT. John Markle, managing partner of the G. B. Markle Coal company. This firm operates three mines in the Lehigh region and is known as an in dependent operator. In the supreme court of Pennsylvania in re Markle versus Wilbur Pennsylvania State Re ports, D. 200, John Markle was sworn and during his testimony swore that he was appointed superintendent or manager by the articles of copartner- ship at a salary of $15,000 per year and that under his management from 1890 to 1894, inclusive, the partnership made large profits of over $1 100000"
 During the five years referred to by MT. Markle the government reports show that the home value of coal pro- duced by the anthracite coal compa- nies was $1.51 per ton. If the G. B. Markle company could make a profit of over S1,O00,O00 in five years when the selling price of their coal at the mines was $1.51, does it not seem req sonable to suppose that the larger com panies, whose cost of production is necessarily less, could make a suffi- cient profit in 1901, when the home value of their coal was S1.S7 per ton, to enable them without detriment to their business to pay the anthracite mine workers the small pittance asked for by them?
 In his annual report to the directors of his company President Truesdale of the Delaware, Lackawanna and West ern says in Substance: "The year 1901 will pass into history as one of the most satisfactory if not the banner year for the anthracite coal interests of this country The tonnage mined, purchased and handled was much greater than any previous year in the history of the company. The rate per ton per mile earned on coal hauled was S.9l mills. The present outlook is fa- vorable for an indefinite continuance of these favorable conditions
 The Commercial and. Financial Chronicle in commenting upon the re- port of President Olyphant of the Dela- ware and Hudson says that sthe aver age of anthracite selling prices for 1901 must have been from 30 to 40 cents higher than in 1900, and the profits of the coal mining operations of the Della ware and Hudson in 1901 was S1, ,407,- BOT"
 Tn connection with this subject at tention is respectfully directed to the fact that ton of coal as the consumer understands it is not ton of coal as the miner is paid for it-that is to say, when the consumer purchases ton of coal he receives -2.240 pounds. a legal