The independent., 1903-03-26

anthracite coal to understand 1t. A
raise in wages of 10 per cent has been
awarded and sliding scale Of wages
adopted, by which when coal goes UP
wages rise and when 1t goes down,
wages fall. AS the starting point OF
ali this Is the present price OF an
thracite coal at the seaboard, The In
dependent can't see in this any chance
for future rise of wages. II hard
coal goes higher than it is now, the
use of 1T will be discontinued by hum
dreds of thousands who have been
accustomed to heat their houses with
1t In past years. The demand for it
would be Immediately restricted and
the price would go down, unless the
monopoly would be satisfied with re-
those concerns that must have it ur-
til something is invented to take its
place. The award does not force ths
recognition of the union, but provides
for arbitration in the various fields
the umpire to be appointed by a fed.
eral judge. To The Independent it
seems that 1t is throwing the whole
regulation of wages into the hands
Of the federal judges and organized
labor knows full well from past ex-
periences what to. expect from them.
Anthracite coal is selling in Ne
braska at the present time along the
lines of railroads from $3.50 to Sis
a ton. The various grades Of bitum
inous coal are SO high that it matters
little, as far as the cost is concerned,
which the suffering people buy. Much
less coal is being consumed than u.s.
ual, every housewife being as careful
as possible in it's use and every sub
Stitute possible is being used. Corn
cobs, where the farmers have been
able to get cars to ship their corn
Notwithstanding the constant ref1lNns
OF the stoves required, are burned by
well-tO-do farmers who have been ac-
customed to use coal for heating pur-
poses. and using the cobs for light
fires In warm weather. There is no
longer a scarcity of coal. 1t can be
obtained at any of the stations, but the
exorbitantly high prices greatly re-
duces the consumption. 1t is hard u
account for this on any other suppo-
sition than that competition in the
coal trade has been destroyed and the
price is being kept up by comhina-
tions II the usual quantity of coal
is being mined and the production is
kept up for few weeks longer, the
result must be an enormous stock OF
unsold coal in the hands of the opera
tors. That does not necessarily near
lower price for coal in the near flu
ture, for the republican government Of 4
this country has turned things topsy
turvey and chaos results in the eco-
nomic world where order and system
under the natural laws of supply and
demand have so long ruled. Under
the old order of things it would result
in bringing down the price Taking
their cue from the railroads all men
take all the traffic will bear, without
any regard for reasonable profits.
Farmers are everywhere experienc-
ing very great difficulty in getting
help. The present price of corn and
wheat does not warrant very high
wages. Many of the farmers have
gone through with such sad times in
raising corn and wheat at loss and
getting into debt thereby that they
will prefer to let the land lie idle to
paying wages that mean loss. They
say that they have the long end of
the lever on the city fellows as long
as they keep out of debt. They can
live without going into production to
any great extent, while the city maj.
must have business or wages or
starve. Twenty dollars month for
farm hand with board, room ami
laundry is better than $50 in the city
where expensive clothing has to be
constantly worn and where board and
rooms must be paid for at the present
rates. Then the farm life with mod
ern machinery Is much more healthful
and less toilsome than most of the
work in the city A farm hand can
save nearly his whole salary, for mis-
clothing is but bagatelle Notwith-
standing this. great many young
men go to the city who ought to be on
the farms, spend all they make and
when the gray hairs begin to appear
find that they are not wanted any
longer. Better let the girls sell the
ribbons and lace and make strong men
OF themselves in the fresh air and
sunshine of the farms.