The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-01
COAL COMMISSIONS LABORS
PROGRESS OF FNTESTIG4TIONIN IN
THE ANTHRACITE REGION.
Possible That n Preliminary Report
May be Made on Three of the Principal
Strike QuestIons-They Arc the In
ereassin Wages, Shorter Work Day
and the Weighing of CoaI-Findings
to Date from NovemberI.

Scranton. Pa, Oct. 31.-The first i'm
portant action by the anthracite coal
strike commission, which is arbitrating
the differences between the miners and
their employers, was taken to-day,
when it was announced by Carroll D.
Wright the recorder of the commission,
that if any award affecting the existing
rate of wages shall be made, the award
shall be effective from November list.
1t was fully expected that this question
would come up before the arbitrators,
but the action of the commissioners
shuts off any possible controversy that
either side may have decided to raise.
The miners wanted the new scale, if
one is made, to date from the time they
returned to work, but the operators left
the matter to be decided by the COM
mission. The mine workers are perfect
ly satisfied, however, with the decision
of the commission. The strike has been
Off only one week, and most of the men
have not worked more than four or five
days. The announcement of the COM
mission was contained in the following
brief resolution:
Voted, unanimously, that if the COM
mission, at the conclusion of its hear
ing and deliberations, make any award
affecting existing rates of wages, such
award shall take effect from November
i, 1902"
Accompanying the resolution was a
brief statement made by Recorder
Wright in which he says:
1.-THE resolution was adopted by the
commission because it felt that 1t was
important to make its investigation de-
liberately and that it might be well, in
order to relieve itself from pressure
from any source which might cause
undue haste to inform the presidents
and the minters that should the investi-
cation and the deliberations following
it warrant any change whatever, either
in the way of increase or reduction of
wages, such change should be from a
certain date, thus enabling all parties
to facilitate their calculations"
The commissioners spent the entire
day iii continuing their inspection of the
mines and the mining region about
Scranton. ii They visited the Manville
colliery operated jointly by the Della
ware and Hudson and the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western companies in
the forenoon, and the afternoon was
spent in riding through the region on
special trolley car. The commission
will spend Saturday in the vicinity of
Wilkesbarre, returning here in the
evening.
1t is possible the commission may
make preliminary report on three of
the principal strike questions. They
are the increase in wages, a shorter
work day and the weighing of coal.
After these have been decided the COM
mission can take up all other ques-
tions without undue haste. 1t is known
that the commissioners have this feat
ure under consideration, and it is very
likely that preliminary report will be
made.
The commissioners were underground
to-day for two hours and half. The
\ party consisted of thirteen persons and
included six commissioners, the two as
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