Evening journal., 1903-09-16
MUST ABIDE BY
BOARDS AWARDS
Grievance ofthe Miners Again
Taken Up at the Phila-
delphia Meeting
SESSION TODAY AND TOMORROW

Cancellation Board met in this city
and took up tha grievances submitted
to them. r. G. Luther. representative
OF operators. was unable to attend
owing to the critical illness Of his aged
mother.
The board took up tho grievances
of the mine workers in the SchuyllSill
district, the principal one being a re-
ductlon IN working hours on Saturday.
Prior 10 tho award Of the strike com
mission the men in the lower or
Schuylklll region enjoyed a half noli-
day on the last workday Of the week,
but since the award the operators have
refused 10 make any distinction, with
the result that their employees have
been obliged to labor as long on Sat
urday as on other days Of the week.
It is regarded by the mine workers as
q most important question before the
board. and their representatives
pressed 1t with great vigor and will
press for a decision favorable to the
men during the session to be held to-
day and tomorrow.
Another question which was dis
cussed is whether or not the 10 per
cent. awarded by the Strike Commits
sion shall be applied to the net or
gross earnings While the men in
this region are not affected by these
changes, yet should a decision be
against the miners the application of
tho change will be general In many
places So hours constituted a weeks
work before the settlement of the late
strike, and naturally the employees
thought in the future they would work
but SO hours. They were surprised,
however, when notices were posted
saying that 81 hours would be consid-
cred a weeks work.
In addition to the above questions
there are many other minor colliery
disputes demanding consideration.
The board held two sessions, but
only one case was finally disposed of.
This case related to the men employed
by w. b. Gunton, owner and operator
of the Lylyens Drift, at Bernice, Pa.
The employees assert that Mr.. Gunton
made u verbal promise during the
strike that If they would continue at
work he would grant them whatever
Increase was gained through the strike
commission. This. they assert, he has
failed to do. Mr.. Gunton denied that
he had ever made such promise. and
the case was disposed of by the board
adopting the following resolution;
"rhat inasmuch as Mr. Gunton de-
MED that he has agreed to abide by
the decision of the anthracite strike
commission. the board Of conciliation
has no Jurisdiction"
A representative of the miners said
that the commissions award had been
satisfactorily lived up to by the opera
tors in the main. He said;
I'VE are not surprised that the
operators have shown a willingness to
abide by the award. We expected that
they would do So II is unfortunate
that the commission did not sit to in
terpret for the Cancellation board some
of the disputed provisions of its find
ings, but as an umpire has been named
and accepted It is now too late for that
OF course we cannot agree on all
points. but the miners union proposes
TO see to II that any decision that is
reached is lived up to. II would be a
poor organization that will not live up
70 the obligations it has assumed, and
the United Mine Workers Of America
propose to prove to the country that
Il Is worthy of confidence and entitled
20 act directly in a representative ca
pacity for the $4,000 mine workers Of
the three anthracite districts. There
Is no reason for anticipating any wide
spread trouble in the region during the
lifetime of the award at least"
President Baer. Of the Reading Com
pany, states that the average daily
earnings of 2z523 men and boys en-
plcyed at the company's mines-in 1901
ranged from S5 cents to 1929 ner day.
The cost of labor in producing a ton
OF coal has increased steadily IN recent
years. IN 1899 1t was s1.06 per ton,
In 1900 Slip per ton and IN 1901 S1.26
per ton. and before the increase Of 10
per cent in wages in 1902 1t rose to
stSS. Tho present cost OF labor per
ton of coal mined is unoficially stated
70 be about S1.51, an increase Of 45
cents per ton over 1899 and 13 cents
over 1902. Notwithstanding this re-
markable increase in the cost of mining
coal the producing companies have,
by reason o. an increase in price. man
aged 20 make greater profits per ton
in each year since 1899. Tic last ad-
vance in wages. which has just gone
into effect. will cut into the profits OF
the producer, as there will be no fur
ther advance in the price of coal. II
IS not improbable that some portion of
the output OF coal may be sold for less