The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-11
PrgsideRtF|yRn Submits ENhaus-
 tive Document for Miners
MANY POINTS IN DISPUTE
Claims Embrace an Advance In Wage, Semi-MonthIy Pay Day and an Eloht-Hour Working Day.
 Comparative Table.

President Edward Flynn submitted the following in behalf of the United Mine Workers to the board of arbitration yes- ,terday:
 To the Honorable Board of Arbitration
 Gentlemen-Boards of arbitration as their name would indicate, are created for the purpose of bringing eontesting parties together, investigate the cause of their differences and after thorough hearing of both parties to the contro- versy, deciding the questions at issue ac- cording to the evidence submitted.
 As representatives of the Alabama Mine Workers, we very much regret that we were not able to settle our differences with our employers on a basis that we believed to be equitable to all parties con- cerned.
 We fully realized that the interests in- volved were of such magnitude that every reasonable effort should have been made to avoid a strike. A strike that would entail a loss of thousands or dol- lars in profits to the operators and thou sands of dollars of loss in wages to the Mine Workers, and in addition impose severe hardships on the laboring people and the business interests of this state.
 With a firm belief in the equity of our claims and in keeping with the funda- mental principles of the United Mine Workers of America, we urged that the questions in dispute be referred to an ar bitration board for adjudication.
 We have every confidence in the ability, integrity and honesty of the board which has been selected to pass upon the merits of the claims to be presented in the pres ent controversy by the operators and mine workers of Alabama.
 The Propositions. On behalf of the mine workers of Ala bama we desire to respectfully submit to your honorable board and for your careful consideration the propositions in dispute, and with those propositions such evidence as will prove the merits of our claims for an advance of 5 cents per ton in mining with a proportionate advance for narrow work and day labor, semi monthly pay day and an eight-hour day.
 "That there be an advance of five cents per ton on both the minimum and maximum prices of mining coal and that all narrow work and day wages be advanced In proportion"
 Before submitting any evidence in sup port of our demand for an advance, we believe for the information of the board of arbitration, a brief explanation should be made of the system upon which Is based the wages of the mine workers or Alabama.
 | The rate paid for mining a ton of coal in Alabama Is based upon the selling price per ton of pig iron f. o. b. cars at the furnaces of this state
 The mining rate in this state previous to the year 1900 was fixed at a minimum base of forty (4O) cents per ton for min ing coal when pig iron was selling at eight ($s O0) dollars per ton. There was no maximum rate per ton fixed for min ing coal at that time.
 Tn June 1900 the minimum base was changed from forty (40) cents to forty five (45) cents per ton, and at the same time a maximum rate of fifty-hve t55) cents per ton for mining coal was fixed.
 Basis Illustrated.
 To more clearly illustrate the present basis upon which the mining rate ad- vances and declines within the fixed minimum and maximum limits, we sub init the following figures:
 When pig iron is selling for $500 per ton, the mining rate is 45 cents per ton; $S 50 per ton, the mining rate Is 471b cents per ton; s9. .0O per ton the mining rate Is 50 cents per ton; 5000 per ton, the min ing rate Is 521k cents per ton; Sl1.OO per ton, the mining rate is 55 cents per ton. When iron sold for more than eleven ($11 .00) dollars per ton the mining rate remained at fifty-fve (55) cents per ton, the fixed maximum. During the past three years pig iron, upon which our mining rate is based, has sold as high as S20 co per ton and is now selling at $13.00 per ton for No. foundry iron, which is about the average price of all iron made in this state.
 The mine worker does not receive any of the benefits of the higher prices ob- tained for iron. which Is now sl3.O0 per ton, and s2.O0 above the maximum of $11.0O. on which the maximum mining price is based.
 Our proposition would change the min mum base from forty-hve to fifty cents per ton, and the maximum from thirty five to sixty cents per ton, with selling prise of iron ranging from $500 to Sl1. OC per ton or twenty-four (2D cents per ton increase cost on ton of pig iron as re- suit of the five cents per ton advance on the mining rate. This would leave a profit of $2.75 per ton when iron is sold at $12.o per ton. It will increase the cost of production to the commercial operator eight cents per ton in which he protects himself, according to his contract, by charging the increased cost to the railroad companies and other consumers. The domestic consumer must pay such price for coal as may be agreed upon by the operators
 \ Cost of Iron Making. It is stated in the report for the year 1902 to the directors of the Sloss- Sheffield | Steel and Iron company that iron was manufactured by their company at a total cost of $900 per ton, and by the Tennes- see Coal, Iron and Railroad company at a cost of s9.52 per ton. The Sloss-Shef-
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