The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-10-02
Fl Veteran Miner
Suggests a Plan
THE following suggestion for a re-
organization of the mining busi-

THE following suggestion for a re-
organization of the mining busi-
L ness comes from man who has
labored in and about the mines for
nearly forty years and who thinks he
understands thoroughly what is needed
to tranquilize the labor situation:
Mr.. Editor: Necessity is the mother Of
all Inventions and the present strike has
made 1t necessary to devise a new plan
to work the coal mines hereabouts. And
If the new PLAN, is n practical one, as
many believe it is, then it would be the
best and easiest to end the present strike
by adopting it and doing away with
miners contract work and have them to
work on the same system as all others in
side the m!nes-on daily wages. 1t has
been said that one miner could, by con-
tining himself only to preparing the pow
der, tamping the holes and firing the
same, attend to ten chambers, the labor
ers doing all other work, such as clean
ing and loading the coal and working out
the coal after each blast, If need be.
which is often the case But it seems
that ten chambers is rather II high num-
Der for one miner to attend to. Yet it
may be done with some good miners. and
with exceptionally good places in different
veins of coal. In other places, one miner
would not be able to attend to more than
five chambers-and in tight or hard
places, two or three chambers would he
all he could attend to. Also. it would call
for the best and most practical miners
where the coal is tight and hard be-
cause more holes would be drilled and
fired; and especially it calls for the best
judgment in the use Of powder in each
blast. l know of some people called
miners, vino judge the amount of powder
by the depth of the hole drilled-four foot
of hole, eighteen inches of powder; five
and onc-half foot of hole, two feet of
powder-but a practical miner never does
so. lie always judges the amount of
powder by the amount of coal to he
thrown out. and he always knows how
the grain of the coal runs. for 1t often
needs more powder in the four-foot hole
than. it does in the five and e-haffoot
hole. A good miner should always have
good wages, the same as all other num-
ber one tradesmen; and am of the opin-
ion II the new plan Is practicable, and
put in operation, it would be the best, in
the long run, for all concerned
1t Is true that some miners would rot
Ike it, especially those that have the bad
habit Of hurrying out of the mines early
every day. They would not be able to do
so with the new plan. But, in place Of
the miners getting only one-half or three
quarters time, as heretofore, they would
get the same time as all other company
hands. Furthermore, 1t would do away
with the following matters, that may
cause strikes again:
Frst-Thcre is a strong desire and ten-
dency among the miners laborers to de-
mand half of the earnings of the miners.
Second There is great demand and cry
for the weighing of the coal these days.
which must be heard sooner or later with
the present mode of working.
Third-The docking of coal has always
been a bone of contention with the
miners since l remember, back in the
sis ties.
Fourth-The miners certificate. The
miners in the past were condemning the
certificate law, saying it was detrimental
to miners, and the operators, | believe,
know that the certificate law is detrimen-
tai to them in this strike, or fight, as we
may call it. But with the new plan of
working in the mines there would be no
chance for the fight between the miners
and laborers for half the proceeds of the
the Weighing of the coal, because all
would be working for daily wages; and
there would be no need of so much ado
on either side about the certificate.
Therefore, being that those threatening
dangers of strikes are cast aside, 1t would
be better for both SIDES to get the new
plan in operation; the soon the better it
will be, and end this strike. Strikes are
killers. Labor is the sinews, marrow,
blood and life of our country Stop labor
and all suffer Strikes have killed every
Snion that | was ever in. What will come
of tSe union of today, time will tell.
How much money have the workingmen
lost? How much have the operators lost?
How much has all business In general
lost? II YOU have the figures, add them
together and the sum will be enormous.
What has caused all this sacrifice? The
strike. How many families had made ar
rangemonts for home for themselves,
by paying so much each month, and have
failed TO do so? What Is the cause? The
strike. How many had to leave their
homes to seek support for their families
of late-for what cause? The strike.
How many families that have always
been reighbors and friendly all their life
Tina have hennma anemias- and many in