Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-06-12
Correspondence With Mitchell on
Coal Situation Made Public.
PRESIDENT BAER's ATTITUDE

Declined to Join In Conference TO Fix
Wage Scale For Anthracite Regions,
Claiming 1t Was ImpracticabIe, and
Refused TO Agree to Arbitration.
New York, June 1.-THE presidents
of the coal roads Immediately affected
by the strike of the anthracite coal
miners made public yesterday letters
and kilograms which have passed be-
tween the operators and President
Mitchell and other representatives OF
the United Mine Workers. The opera
tors say they have heretofore hest
tated about making public this cor
respondence. s'The president of the
United States they said, having re-
quested Mr.. Wright, the commissioner
of labor. to investigate the strike, the
presidents of the coal companies have
given him such facts as he desired, in
GLIDING this correspondence, and it is
now given to the public"
The operators preface the cores
pondence with brief history of the
unionizing of the anthracite coal min
ers after the establishment of the
United Mine Workers, originally an or
ganization of bituminous coal miners
and recite the agreement to an advance
of 10 per cent in wages in 1901, follow
ing the strike of 1900; the adjustment
of the sliding scale, and finally the in
vitation of February IA, 1902, to the
operators to joint conference to form
a wage scale for the ensuing year. Then
the text of the letters and kilograms
are introduced
The first letter on the list is that of
President Baer, of the Reading Rail-
road, dated Philadelphia, February Is,
1902, and addressed, as were all replies,
of the operators, to John Mitchell,
president, and Others" at Indianapolis.
In part Mr.. Baer says:
Gentlemen beg to acknowledge
the receipt of your favor of February
IA, inviting this company to be repre-
scented at joint conference of opera
tors and miners on March II, the object
of the conference to be the formation
April /, 1902, and ending March 81,
1908, and in which you express the
hope that the methods employed by
the miners organization in adjusting
the wage scale in all districts where it
is recognized and contracted with will
commend themselves to u.s. In the
judgment of the companies l represent,
it is impracticable to form a wage
scale for the whole anthracite region.
The mining of anthracite coal is en-
tirely different from that of bituminous
coal The distinction between the BIZ
luminous and anthracite mines is re-
cognized in the Pennsylvania laws
regulating mining, which have been en-
acted primarily at the solicitation OF
the mine workers. Special laws are
created for each.
eve will always receive and consid-
er every application of the men in our
employ. We will endeavor to correct
every abuse to right every wrong, to
deal justly and fairly with them. The
objection to your proposition is not
alone the impracticability of forming
a uniform scale of wages, but it is to
the divided allegiance it creates. Dis
cipline is essential in the conduct of
all business. Your organizations have
no power to enforce their DEGREES, and
thereby insure discipline, and we have
no powers to maintain discipline ex-
cept the power to discharge.
oaraft,I ano1vcic of ha roc,,,Jtc, ~
last years operations shows that the
efficiency of our mines has decreased
100000 tons, because the contract
miners have worked only four and one
half to six hours a day.
with no disposition to interfere
with labor organizations in all honest
efforts to better the welfare and condi-
ton of the working classes, we re-
spectfully decline to join in any con-
ference for the formation of wage
scale for the next year.
GEORGE F. BAER."
The replies of the other operators
follow the same lines, and all decline
to join in any conference for the for
nation of wage scale. The operators
also claim that to grant an increase in
wages would result in the further ad-
vance in the price of coal to the pub
lie, which is impraeticable, owing to
the competition of soft COAL They offer
ed to allow miners representatives to
examine their books and after saying
that the anthracite mining is a bust
ness and not religious, sentimental
or philanthropic proposition, refused
all suggestions for arbitration.
I intfan .n% L,oad1rn NA%e r,.,. No..