New-York tribune., 1902-06-24
WAITING WORD FROM BAER
COAL GUARDS DESERTING-oPER
MAY SOON START MINE.
tRr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE !


statement issued by President Mitchell to-day
say that they do not desire express an "l'h-
ION in detail upon il untiI President baer 81
the Philadelphia and Reading has answered. H.
He was chairman OF the committee that con-
1err,ed with the United Min Workers commit
Zee and they therefore consider it his privilege
70 answer first. particularly as he is personally
mentioned in the body Of it, After President
Baer has spoken they may be liberty to say
something They did. however. make this state
ia,ent which directly applies to the conditions
existing under their immediate jurisdiction:
Mr. Mitchel's statement of the difference be
tween the miners and the consumers tons Is
misleading He SAYS the consumers pay Tor d
Ton of o.eia pounds while the miners nave Z"
mine from .. 40 to :. 1870 pounds TO a ton ihls
Is misleading because IL implies that coal Is
weighed IN the entire. anthracite region where
as IL is weighed in only some Of the mines IN
the Lackawanna section. which represent some
l21. per cent of the output. In these mines cod!
IS weighed by agreement between the operator
and the miner and varies according 10 ti'e IN,
siition of the veins some being more easily
worked than others. and some being cieaiti
coal than others The compensation Is SO @ u"F,r F
as 10 give to the miner fair days wages lot
a fair DAYS work, ana the ton. SO called Whlcn
has never been a ton proper. varies pei"ee"
- SEQ and 5.6ea pounds
In most of the districts the miner is paid ny
,be car and the size Of the is regulated 10y
rfo eize and condition of the vein and the ease
with which ii be worked contract IS
shade between the miner and the operator, naseu
tau the size Of the
In the Shamokin region a different system
prevails, and the miner Is paid by the cuoi'
yard of coal the price beng again ThaT Raea az,
rordng to the condition OF the Neln- lhefe can car.
therefore he ne controversy about the numoer
of pounds in ton. so called for want of a pet
ter term. and II Is therefore ollE Il Hhdhui"''
,Ired grievance.
The statement of Mr.. Mitchell that the miners
80 not get enough pay is not borne out by the
statement attributed TO Secretary George Hart
1en in the dispatches this morning He said:
There is distress among the men; no miner
has touched his bank account, sold out hulidlns
and loan association shares or applied to the
poor board for help
The plan Of the executive committee OF this
district for stopping work at the eleven wash
cries where coal is being produced at the
rate Of from 6eR0 to 1oeo day has not
Yet been perfected far to stop work All
the washeries were operated to-day, and the
companies preparing to start more The
coal washed is finding ready sale at from 81
70 81 ton and the large daily output is caus-
ing the strikers to lose ground and to induce
CT them to return to work. There was no
trouble any of the washeries to-day, the
peace committees Of the strikers permitting no
crowds to gather. President Jasper Clark Of the
Teamsters' National Union is here. and is
Finding out how many Of the teamsters engaged
in hauling on-union coal union If
he finds that there sufficient seriously TO
interfere with the distribution of the supply he
viii. it is understood. ask them TO refuse to haul
the non-union coal and he Will also endeavor to
organize the other teamsters and induce them
10 take the same action.
That the operators will make an attempt with
in a short time to resume opera tions at a few of
the mines is evident tonight from a report made
excellent authority that the Delaware and
Hudson. the Delaware. Lackawanna and West
ern and The Scranton Coal companies are
hining in effort to collect miners enough to
SlSr of heir
able men from each company viii be chosen.
and many OF them have already applied for
work The effort viii not be made at once. but
sufficient men VIII be collected TO assure the
companies that when they want to begin work
the men viii respond to the call The plan eyi-
IDENTIFY Is. although the officials are silent
Garding il. 10 resume work When the effect viii
doe greatest upon the union. That viii be
week or before the national convention of
miners on July Ia. and if some mines then
worked and coal shipped. this il is expected Will
deter many soft coal men from joining strike
NhIch Is apparently lost other companies, II Is
understood. are making similar efforts, and
meeting with much success d number of men
heing found who are willing to return work.
Most of these foreigners.
The Rlacksmith' Union has ordered all its
members VINO work about the mines to join in
fhe miners strike. and to-day a number Of
them quit More are expected to follow
Most of the operators stopping the coal
picking at their culm banks. and the strip
pings. particularly the latter. in the HaZleton
region. because they have found that the pick
efS are nor only providing Tor themselves. Dui
are selling coal In some cases number Of
them are hired, and what they pick is turned
over 10 their employer each day to be sold
An odd condition existed at the ManVille culm
pile. There the economy Washery is run. and. in
order TO prevent interference with the work. the
company gave TO strikers the privilege of picking
from the bank One hundred and fifty strikers
took advantage OF this and sold the coal To
teamSters 6; load. the teamsters again
selling at 81 10 load. To-day the strikers de-
cided TO raise the price to So 30 The teamsters
would not pay. and the strikers struck work.
y few hours later the teamsterS with numerous
orders for coal untitled. agreed pay the price.
and they retaliated by charging the consumer
81 "a ton.
The desertions of mine guards in the last week
have been many AND the companies order
ing more than the employment agencies
can readily supply A number still wanted
in the Pottsville region and some in the Wyo-
ming and Hazieton regions.
The f1remen pumpmen and engineers at the
Sandy Run collierv Of VI. s kemmerer & Co.
went on strike this morning again. They re
turned work last Tuesday being in
formed by company foreman that the com
pany had granted .heir demands for an eight
hour DAY. On Saturday the president of the
corlpany announced that such orders had
been given by him.
A secret meeting Of engineers. ffremen and
rurz.p runners held at Nanticoke to-day.
and the engineers, according tc report, decided
fo go back to work at the Susquehanna Coal
r-ofnpanv's collieries tomorrow. Il is said that
10 per cent of the firemen and IL per cent Of
The p,nlpmen will go back with them.
Three or four engineers returned to work at
one OF the Delaware and Hudson collieries, on
the west side Of the river
STRIKE BREAKING N kANAWHA.