New-York tribune., 1902-05-19
MANY WILL BE HUNGRY
CREDIT SYSTEM STOPS TO-DAY AND
NATIONAL TREASURY CANNOT
GIVE MUCH HELP.
ley rELEGaArH To THE TRrpUNE.l

Vilkosbarre Penn. May 1S.-Beginufug to-
morrow the credit system in the coal strike area
will cease except in unusual instances Expert
ence In past strikes has taught the merchants
that TO trust is To bust In self-preseryation
they may not trust The foundation of the en-
tire financial system of the anthracite region is
the mine. II there were no mines the district
would be a farming country, but now all bust
ness depends upon the pay earned by the miner.
Poor times are always due 70 lack of work at
the mines and prosperity Is caused by in
creased output Of coal The miner buys from
the small retail dealer. that dealer from the
semi-whoesae man, and he from the general
wholesale merchant. Wholesale men throughout
the region. the actual distributors Of foodstuffs.
have been holding meetings during the last few
days The last meeting was held yesterday in
this city, and it decided to make all GUS
toners pay cash. except in the few cases of big
company stores and the fewer large retail
adjustments that considered unusually
solid
This anti-crcdit system Will mean. a whole
saler estimated cash payments to the houses
Of about S19OO.Ooo a month The lEsiness OF
the wholesale houses in foodstufs alone
throughout the region each year is as follows:
wiikeSb"rre OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. Si>""."0o
scranton 6iOo.OOO
N"fb"hdhie I-""'""o
fittstOn Observation-Disclosures. Nuo,OOO
h"Eieton .....-.-...... ......... 1ouu,obo
f"''HNiie ..-----..-.. -..----... l.1"".o"o
Sbnm">in ..-...-..... I,Son.O0o
h"hhh"N 'itS .-....'s- ....'.-.. 12oo.O"o
other towns CapproNim"teID...... =,oUo,OOO
TotuI Observation-Disclosures: SCI 5O0, ,OOn
The blow viii be hardest on the striker. be-
cause h" must pay cash to the retailer or the
retailer will Ice unable to pay the Wholesaler.
and under these conditions it is estimated that
the suffering will be greater than it was in any
other strike. The men have made some prepara-
tion for 1t, but the two weeks pay law eutices
them to spend money before they get it, and
not 20 per cent of them have saved anything
Most of them did not pay their store bills for
the two weeks preceding the strike order and
they have coming the pay that viii be made this
week for the first days Of this month. That
with what they have on hand. Will keep most Of
them until the middle Of June at pinch. except
where there are large families. who viii by the
end OF this month be in need.
NO FINANCIAL AID IN SIGHT
No provision f., distributing supplies has
yet been made by the union. Some of the otIi-
GERS have said that the national treasurer will
soon arrange the details. As a matter of fact,
the national treasurer viii not do any such
thing There is not in the national treasury
much 100000. II all this were distributed
It would not provide for the strikers for longer
than a week. The national treasury will do
nothing for long time TO aid the strikers. The
aid must come from the local unions, the or
ganiZationS representing the union men of each
mine. The dues of each union are - cents
MONTH and a portion Of that goes to the national
treasury. out of the remainder the local union
must pay rent and other expenses. There is not
much left in the treasury after this for general
needs. The previous strike lasted six weeks,
and at the end of that time the money of the
local unions was almost exhausted, and many
families were in want. The national treasury
supplied nothing
With credit suspended. cash needed for meats
and groceries, and little aid from the locals the
condition Of the strikers by the end of June will
be serious If the strike shall not end by July
there will be much suffering. Many Of the men
realize this. and they daily streaming to
the soft coal regions, where they get work.
live Cheaply and send some money home to
their families. Others go to New-York and
New-Jersey to work the farms there, while
at home the boys sell papers. black boots and
get any small jobs they The girls most
of whom work in mills. Will be idle for there is
no coal for the mills. and a general suspension
of regular work follows This year the ordi-
nary duh times of summer Will he increased,
there will he little extra work and the striker
will find il difficult to money.