Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-29
STATEMENT BY MITCHELL.
In Answer to Others Made by the
Operators

President Mitchell of the United Mine
Workers gave out a long statement at
Philadelphia last night, in which he re-
views from the standpoint of the miners
the causes leading up to the anthraci cite
coal strike, and defends the position and the
conduct of the miners organization He
presents arguments to refute statements by
President Baer with reference to wages
paid and the hours of work. On the wage
question, Mr.. Mitchell says:
Mr.. Baer states that the wages paid in
the anthracite coal regions are, compared
with the wages paid in like employment
fair and just By like employment Mr.
Baer must refer to bituminous coal mining
l am willing and prepared to demonstrate
that wages in the bituminous coal fields are
from 70 to 40 per cent higher than those
paid for similar classes of work in the an.
thracite fields.
The fact is that the minimum wage re-
ceived by any class of adult mine workers
In the soft coal mines is 26A cents per
hour, while the minimum wage paid to boys
is 121a cents per hour; in the anthra cite
coal mines men performing precisely the
same labor receive from Ii to 20 cents per
hour, while boys are paid as low as 5
cents per hour and rarely receive to exceed
cents per hour.
The anthracite mine worker labors I'M
der the further disadvantage of being more
lldDle 10 De hllieu OF injured, the casualties
being so per cent greater in the anthracite
than in the bituminous Mines"
Continuing, Mr.. Mitchell says:
There are other statements of Mr. Raer
which are equally incorrect; among these Is
his assertion that the miners only worked
from four to six hours per day:' and his
further assertion that the lowest scale of
wages was SIS cents for boy slate pickers
If Mr.. Baer desires I shall gladly furnish
him with the names and addresses Of thou
sands Of slate pickers, each of whom re-
ceived much less than IS cents per day
and shall be willing to have the returns
verified by the companies pay rolls.
THE next misstatement of Baer to
which l shall give notice is that which
claims that for some mysterious reason
the miners restricted the output of the
mines Mr.. Baer claims that in this man
ner the product of the collieries has been
reduced about 12a per cent, and that in the
case Of the Reading company it amounted
to more than 100000 TONS This is vitality
fact is that instead of a loss of 1000 COO
tons, there was an increase in the year 1901
from the mines operated by the Reading
company, Of S3S,243 tons, and total in.
crease from all the anthracite mines of
100000 tons"
The demands Of the striking miners arc
summarized as follows:
First. An increase in wages for men en-
ployed on piece work.
Second. A reduction in the hours Of labor
for men employed by the day.
Third. Payment for legal ton of coal.
Fourth. That the coal we mine shall be
honestly weighed and correctly recorded
Fifth. We favor Incorporating In the form
OF an agreement the wages that shall he
paid and the conditions of employment that
shall obtain for specific period. AS to the
reasonableness of these demands we have
proposed to submit to and abide by the
award Of an impartial board of arbitration.
The charge that the miners union is a
awless organisation Is resented by Mr.
Mitchell. He says: Z.
There could be no grosser perversion Of