Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-04

Carroll d. Wright commissioners "
Labor. was designated by the President
in Juno last to investigate and report
IN him the. causes and conditions &C
companying the present controversy be-
tween the Pennsylvania anthracite coai
GENERATORS and their miners. Twelve Gays
later Mr.. Wright submitted his findings
to the President. After thoroughly gong
nxer the report. the President submitted
- ~ the Acknowledgement, who afer Civ
tnE ii careful attention, reported that the
Executive had no power whatever 10 take
action in the matter. The report accord
ingly was made PUBIC LOT Tue iiiioi No
OF the people.
Mr. Wright continued his Investigations
In the coal region. assisted by an expo
-ienced man whom he says had STUDIED
the conditions in the coal regions and
understood how to make the necessary
investigations in the present Strike.
Mr., Wright says the present Strike
finds It's root in the settlement OF the
strike of 1900 when the advance demanded
by the miners was conceded SINCE 1hat
time there has increased sensitiveness
and more intense irritation than curing
the previous twenty-five years.
Coal production profits. and transporth-
dion are some of the subjects discussed
In the report Concerning the control or
Tho union over the miners, Mr.. Wrignt
says!
Nearly all the operators, so far as
learned, have no confidence in the ability
of the miners union to control It's ow1
members to any such degree as to assist
In maintaining proper discipline Here
Is a sharp conflict and one which reacheA
10 the very essence of the Irritating con-
hitions that now attend anthracite coal
mining.
-some of the operators GO not hesitate
toisay-and it Is believed that this state
aneut is faverably regarded by some or
.he,union officials-that no great progress
will be made towards more peacefui
conditions IN the mining regions until the
anthracite miners have union of their
,wn. its autonomy individual and not
complicated with that of the hitumlnous
coal miners.
UNIONS LACK DISCIPLINE.
"All the operators whom l met dis
claimed distinctly that they had any
antagonism to labor unions as such: they
do. object, and most seriously to some of
the methods adopted by the unions. but
they feel when asked to make contracts
viii, the unions that the latter should
put themselves in a position to be pecu-
niarily responsible for carrying out sucn
contracts
Mr.. Wright concludes his report as fo.-
lows:
Much evidence has been offered TO
show the general condition of miners,
their complaints and grievances. and the
complaints and grievances Of the opera
tors. It is very clearly shown by the
evidence.that the miners have done some-
To-, at
although they have disappointed the
operators in such attempts. The miners
feel that the corporations when they
refuse to recognize the right of the
unions to represent them in adjusting
any difference cannot deny that the off,
GERS have the power to decide whether
or not the employees shall strike. They
also state that if the operators Will make
an agreement with them that will
carry II out far 1t lies
IN their power so to do, but that
without an agreement they are all the
time quihbling as to conditions under
which mines shall work
UNFAIR PRACTICES
1T is represented to me by reputable
parties. who have no interest in the min
Ing business, one way or the other. that
the chief difficulty lies in the lack of or
garization. This is shown by the exist
ence Of many practices in the manage
meat of coal mines, which appear to be
unWtse. unfair ard calculated to work
hardship. There are very prosperous min
ers In the coal region, and, of course,
there Is also, as In every industry, great
restitution. The whole problem is an ex-
temely complex one and involves many
practices that have been built up through
long use. The mine-owners, too, often
have regarded the average miner as UNI
reliable and likely to be unruly The
miner has come to regard the average
owner as greedy and ready to do any
thing which will take advantage of him.
Long continued use of this base of differ
ence make the question one of great diff
fculty.
1t should be SO that If the miners were
assured of steady work, they should be
able to live comfortably, even on present
basis Of payment. Steady work at less
wages than they are now receiving would
make the miners prosperous class of
workmen as can be found in the United
States"
MR.. wRIGHTs SUGGESTIONS.
Mr.. Wright makes the following sug
gestions which he says seem reasonable
and just:
81 That the anthracite employees
MOULD organize an Anthracite Coal Min
lrs' Union, in its autonomy to be indie
pendent Of the United Nine Workers of
America. The new union might. of course, 4
be affiliated with the United Mine Work.
ers and the American Federation of La
Dor, but In the conduct OF all the affairs
relating to the anthracite coal regions,
the union should preserve its own autono-
my and be financially responsible for its
agreements.
e. That considering all the facts rela-
tive TO production. cost of coal at the
mines. profits. freight traffic, etc, 1t would
be reasonable and just for the operators
to concede nine-honr day. out that this
should be done for the period of six
months as an experiment. In order to test
the influence on production. with the
guaranty that If production is not mate
rally reduced thereby. the agreement
shaii be made for a more permanent re-
,uctipn of time
3. That under new organization con-
stsrng OF anthracite employees, there
shall be organized joint committee on !!
consultation. composed of representatives
OF the operators and OF the new union. to |
which all grievances as they arise sbalIi
be referred for investigation: and that |
wtasn two-thirds of the committee reach
decision. that decision should be final
and binding. 80.
=. That the first duty of such Joint
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