The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-03-27
MINERS WIN A
BIC VICTORY
Report of the Anthracite Strike
Commission Is Made
Public.
MEN GET HIGHER WAGES
A Sliding Scale Is Provided,
Based on Coal Prices, for
Three Years.
UNION NOT RECOGNIZED
Commission Says 1t Has No Authority
to Determine This Point-Recom-
mends Agreements by Employ
ers Meeting Employees.

mends Agreements by Employ
ers Meeting Employees.
Washington. March 23.-The report
Of the strike commission was made
public today. 1t is dated March Is and
Is signed by all the members Of the
commission It cover eighty-sGven
pages of printed matter.
In brief the commission recommends
q general Increase OF wages,
in most instances to 10 per cent, and
some decrease in time: the settlement
of all disputes by arbitration; fixes the
minimum wage, and q sliding scale;
provides against discrimination by
either the mine owners or miners on ac-
u OF membership or non-Inember~
ship in q labor union, and provides that
the awards to be made shall continue
in force until March 81, 1906.
The commission discussed to some ex-
tent the matter Of recognition or non-
recognition Of the Miners union, but
declined to make any award on this
matter. The commission alsH makes a
unb of recommendations, which
may be summarized as follows: Discon-
ttnuance of the system of employing the
coal, and iron police" because this
force is believed to have an Irritating
effect stricter enforcement Of the laws
in relation to the employment of chill
dren; that both state and federal gov
should provide machinery for
making compulsory Investigations Of
difficulties, similar to the investiga-
ton which this commission has mad
The commission, however, takes a de-
ctded position against compulsory arbi-
tration.
Sliding Wage Scale.
h increase of 10 per cent. in wages
dates from November l last. and the
rates paid during April. 1902, are the
basis upon which h increase is made.
During the life Of the award the pres
ent methods of payments for coal
mined shall be adhered to unless
changed by mutual agreement. The
following sliding scale of wages be-
comes effective April l next:
Fol each increase of 5 cents in the
average price Of White Ash coal of
sizes above pea coal, sold at or near
New York $3.50 per ton, employees
shall nave an increase of / per cent.
IN their compensation; but the rate of
compensation shall in no case be less
than that fixed in the award. That is,
when the price of coal reaches S4.55
per ton the compensation will be in
creased l per cent; to continue until
the price falls below $3.50, when the /
per cent. increase will cease; or until
the price reaches $4.60 per ton, when
an additional l per cent will be added;
and so on.
These average prices shall be COM
puted monthly by an or
commissioner named by one of the cir
cult judges OF the Third judicial cir
cult OF the United States and paid by
the coal operators such compensation
as the appointing Judge may fix.
a large portion Of the report is de-
voted to a review of the controversy
which led to the presidents action in
appointing the commission, to the APP
pointment itself, and the proceedings
committed. They review in a general
way the production of anthracite coal.
refer to the small area of country in
which 1t is produced, and dwell at
some length on market conditions and
prices of coal.
Losses by the Strike.
Ihey also refer to the hazardous ma
ture OF anthracite mining, and give an
estimate of losses ~occasioned by the
strike.
These losses they estimate as fol-
lows:
Mine owners. SAG 1no. 900
Mine employees, in wages.......... Is, o 600
10 transportation companies...... Is, 600, 900
The commission takes up the demands
OF the mine workers n answers the
mine operators. giving in detail the
reasons for the findings. In a general
way they say the conditions of life of
mine outside the mines. do not
Justify, to their full extent, the ad-
verse CRITICISMS made by their represen-
tatiVes. They also find that social con-
ditions in mining communities are good.
iney ran to find wages so low among
the miners as necessarily to force them
70 put their small children to work.
me commission also finds the average
Gay rate OF earnings in the anthracite
region does not compare u~nfayorably
with that in other industries.
sZE COmmisSinn'c Gro,4 T,e
Inc commission says, in making
their investigation, they have done
Whatever 1t was practicable to do to
qua themselves with the condi-
lions which brought about the strike,
~ they nave made the following sum
mary of their work:
Ihey have gone through mines and
inspected various conditions which the
of anthracite involves: thew
have visited breakers, engine houses
ana pumping stations; examined the
machinery by which miners are pro
tected from water and foul air; have
talked with miners at their work and
Al tnelf homes; have given attention to
the economic, domestic, scholastic and
rellglous phases of their lives. They
nave listened to and directed the ex-
animation and crosS-examination of
S5S witnesses; they have given free
scope to counsel who represented the
operators, n~on-union men and miners;
Gnu hey nave devote an entire week
TO hearing their arguments.
Ile commissioners also saw while
There have been differences of opinion
among themselves, there has never
neen a time during the five months
existence CT the commission when there
was an unpleasant word spoken among
them, or any indication whatever of
u tnought or desire OF aughr save the
truth and Justice"
As 10 Roconp;zt., II;
On the subject~of the recognition of
the mine workers union, the commits
! say they 10 not consider that this
ls WITHIN the scope and iuriudiction