The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-04
REAL STATUS
OF COAL STRIKE
Commissioner Of Labor Con-
sid0rs the Demands Of Miners.
he FAv0RS NINE-HOUR DAY
Union 0fflc,H Opposed Trouble Which
Was Causst b. Failure 10 Secure
Conference

Washington, Sept. 4.-The report OF
Carroll ID. Wright, the commissioner OF
labor. on the anthracite coal strike has
just been made public. He finds that
there is no confidence existing between
the employees and their employers. This.
he believes. is one OF the chief causes OF
the difficulties between the operators and
miners.
Commissioner Wright suggests that II
would be reasonable and just for the oper-
ators to concede at once a nine-honr day
for period OF six months as an expert
ment.
COMMITTEE ON CANCELLATION.
He suggests that there should be or
ganized a joint committee on conciliation
composed OF representatives Of the oper-
ators and OF a new union OF anthracite
employees. to which all grievances should
be referred for investigation, and their
decision should be final and binding upon
all parties and that there should be no
interference with non-union men.
In the course OF his remarks Commits
sioner Wright says that the facts seem
10 show that In contradistinction to most
strikes the officers OF the Miners union,
with perhaps one or two exceptions. per-
sistently opposed the present strike. on
the ground that II would probably last
all summer and entail great hardship and
suffering upon the mine workers, as we'll
as work incalculable injury In the indus
trial interests of the country. Their at
tempt To secure conferences between the
representatives OF the mine workers and
the mine operators proved fruitless how
ever, and the miners themselves decided
that strike should be organized.
NOT OPPOSED TO LABOR UNIONS.
Nearly all of the operators have no
confidence In the ability Of the Miners
union to control its own members 10 such
a degree as TO assist In maintaining
proper discipline. All of the operators
whom Mr.. Wright met disclaimed dis
tinctly that they had any antagonfsm 10
labor unions as such. They did object
and most seriously. TO some OF the meth
DDS adopted by the union, ana they feel
that when asked TO make a contract with
the undons the latter should put them
selves In position TO be pecuniarily re-
sponsible for carrying out such contracts.
The specific demand of the union that
where miners are paid by weight 224o
pounds shall constitute the ton represents
a long-standing difficulty.
When II Is shown that a ton OF coal,
says Mr.. Wright, contains a varying per-
centage OF refuse as II comes from the
mine. II is difficult to see why the op-r-
ators ought not TO share in the loss OF
labor in mining impurities.
DEMANDS OF THE MINERS.
The demand Of the miners that wages
be increased 10 per cent In the rates per
ton TO those men who perform contract
work and 10 per cent. reduction I'm the
time OF 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 accordingly
They urge that IL Ia exceedingly difficult
for them TO live properly on their present
wages. The reduction OF time is put for
ward by the miners and backed by the
statement that their work takes only
about 20Q days In a year and for the re-
mainder OF the time they are practically
idle. The operators meet this demand
with the statement that they are able 10
market only go per cent OF the capacity
OF their mine and that their fixed charges.
including the pumping, care OF the mines.
etc. go on for "A hours a day and every
day in the year. They insist that the
increase OF % per cent tn wages which
the men demand would mean about 46
cents a ton increase.
The total amount OF wages paid In the
anthracite coal fields last year Is stated
by the operators TO have been s66, 90
The increase under the original demand
for the miners, the operators state. would
be about $4,000, 600.