The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1902-09-12
COMMISSIONER WRIGHT REPORTS
HE THINKS THAT THE OPERA
TORS ARE NOT FAIR TO
COAL MINERS.
PLAN FOR ADJUSTING DISPUTES
SUGGESTS ESTABLISHMENT OF
A JOINT TRIBUNAL OF
CANCELLATION.

Washington, Sept. 4. - Carroll D..
Wright, commissioner Of labor, was
designated by the president in June
last to investigate and report to him
the causes of the present controversy
between the Pennsylvania anthracite
coal mine owners and their miners.
Twelve days later Mr.. Wright submit
ted his findings to the president. At
ter carefully going over the report the
president submitted it to the attorney
general, who, after giving it full and
careful consideration, reports that the
executive has no power to take action
in the matter. The report, therefore,
is made public for the information OF
the public.
Lack of Confidence.
Commissioner Wright finds that
there is no confidence existing be-
tween the employees and their employ
ers. This, he believes, is one of the
chief causes of the difficulties between
the operators and miners.
Commissioner Wright suggests that
it would be reasonable and just for
the operators to concede at once a
nine-hour day for a period of six
months as an experiment.
He suggests that there should be
organized joint committee on concil-
iation, composed of representatives Of
the operators and of a new union of
anthracite employees, to which all
grievances should be referred for in
vestigation, and that their decision
should be final and binding upon all
parties, and that there should be no
interference with the non-union men.
Officers Opposed Strike.
In the course of his report Commits
sioner Wright says that the facts seem
to show that, in contradiction to most
strikes, officers of the miners union,
with perhaps one of TWO exceptions,
persistently opposed the present
strike on the ground that it would
probably last all GUNNER and entail
great hardship and suffering upon the
mineworkers as well as work meal
culable injury to the industrial in
terests of the country. They also be-
lieved that many of the alleged
wrongs endured by the miners might
be corrected by appeals to the employ
e1s. Their attempt, however, to Sc
cure conferences between the repre-
sentatives of the mineworkers and the
mine operators proved fruitless, and
the miners themselves decided that
strike should be organized.
Not Antagonistic to Unions.
All of the operators whom Mr..
Wright met disciaimcd distinctly that
they had any antagonism to labor
unions, as such. They did object, and
most seriously, to some Of the meth
DDS adopted by the union, and they
feel that when asked to make a con-
tract with the unions the latter should
put themselves in position to be Pc
cuniarily responsible for carrying out
such contracts.
The specific demand of the union
that where miners are paid by weight
1900 pounds shall constitute the ton
represents a long standing difficulty.
The miners see little difficulty in
adopting the system of payment by
weight, but they claim that they are
systematically defrauded by the arbi-
trary action of the bosses who de-
termine how much deduction shall oe
made for impurities, and they espe-
cially complain that they are defraud-
ed when paid by the wagon or car
load.
Should Share Loss in Labor.
When it is shown that ton of coal,
says Mr.. Wright, contains varying
percentage of refuse as it comes from
the mine it is difficult to see the force
of the argument why it should not be
weighed and the miner paid for the
work he does. At least, the operators,
he thinks, ought to share in the loss
of labor, in mining impurities. The
demand of the miners that wages be
increased 10 per sent in the rate per
ton to those men who perform con-
tract work, and 10 per cent reduction
in time to those who work by the day,
is backed by the statement that after
the increase Which was granted in
1900, the prices of all commodities in a
mining region were advanced assord-
ingly. They urged that it is exceeI.
ingly difficult for them to live properly
on the present wages. -.