Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-11-14
OPERATORS REPLY
COAL BARONS HOLD THAT MINERS
DEMANDS ARE UNJUST.
Leader of the Mine Operators Claims the
Average Earnings of the Men Are Not
Equal Skill and Training -Eight-Hour
Day ImpracticabIe.

Baer, of the Philadelphia & Reading
coal and iron company, has filed with
the anthracite coal strike commission
the reply of that company to the state
ment made by John Mitchell, presi-
dent of the Mineworkers of America,
concerning the points involved in the
anthracite coal strike. Following is
the text of Mr.. Baer's statement:
"To the anthracite coal strike COM
mission: The Philadelphia & Reading
coal and iron company replying to the
demands OF John Mitchell, representing
certain anthracite mineworkers, says:
"That it owns 81 collieries situated
in the counties of Schuylkill, Northum-
berland and Columbia, and that it did
operate, previous to the strike inaugur-
ated by the United Mineworkers of
America, 33 collieries and four wash
cries and that at that time it had
26, 1929 employees in and about the
mines.
ssThe demand for 80 per cent in
crease upon the price paid during the
year 1901 to employees performing con-
tract or piece work is arbitrary, un-
reasonable and unjust. This company
denies there is such similarity between
the mining of bituminous and of anth-
racite coal as to make wages paid in
one standard for the other.
"This company denies that the pres
ent rate of wages is lower than is paid
in other mines in the same locality
and controlled by like conditions.
This company is not informed as to the
average annual earnings in the bitum-
ineus coal fields, but it AYERS that near
ly all of it's former employees woo dur
ing the past five months worked in the
bituminous mines have returned to the
anthracite coal regions, preferring to
work in the anthrae ite mines.
"This company denies that the rate
of wages in the anthracite coal fields is
insufficient to compensate the mine
workers, in view of the dangerous char
acter of the occupation in relation to
accidents, liability to serious and perm
anent disease, the high death rate and
the short trade life incident to this en-
ployment.'
ssThis company further denies that
the children of the anthracite mine
workers are prematurely forced into the
breakers and mills instead of being
supported and educated upon the earn
ings of their parents, because of the
low wages of such parents, or that such
wages are below the fair and just earn
ings of mineworkers in this industry.
ssNo boys are employed in and about
the mines and breakers in violation oi
the statutes fixing the ages of employ
ment. In addition to provisions for
education, ample hospitals for the care
of the sick and injured are maintained
in the anthracite coal regions. This
company AYERS that there is not any
where else in the world mining region
where the workmen have SO many COM
forts, facilities for education, general
advantages and such profitable employ
ment.
"In general we deny, in SO far as re-
lates to anthracite mining, that the
1O-hour day is detrimental to the
| healthy life of the mineworkers; tina
| shorter hours improve the physical
moral and mental conditions of the
workers, and that shorter hours in
crease the intensity and efficiency oi
labor We admit that the tendency
of national and state governments ano
of labor organizations is toward shorter
hours, but deny that working day o
less than 10 hours will be of real ad
vantage to the workmen engaged in ane
about the anthracite mines and collier
les. In exhausting work day of II
hours is too long. but there is no ex
hausting labor which justifies reduc
ton of hours of work in the anthracite