The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-02
East Side Dealers Advanced Quo
tations From $1.25 to 1925
q Ton.
EIGHT MINES ARE RUNNING.
Engineers of the Belleville Dis
trict Issue a Statement Ex-
planning Their Position,
Answering Operators.

coal on track on the East Side the prices
for the bituminous article went soaring
yesterday. rising from s1.25 to SIS a tor
on the few sales that were made
Dealers refused orders yesterday. In.
forming their customers that they had
better walt until the status OF the strike
among the ccal-hoisting engineers was
better known and the production of coal
In spite Of the strike. could be better esti-
mated. Only rush orders. were filled yes
terday and there were few of these.
Several of the dealers stated that there
was no reason for the advance of 81 ton
on coal yesterday other than that the mer
who had coal were holding 1t for a big
advance. In this advance lies the hope
of the engineers for the successful culmi-
nation of the strike, so far as they are
concerned. They assert that the big mine
owners will not stand by and see the
smaller ones mining coal at profit far in
excess Of the ordinary value of coal
Eight mines out of fifty-two in ST. Clair
County were worked yesterday, employing
total OF about 1,5oO men. At least $500
miners were idle yesterday as result of
the strike. Those OF the mines which
are not members Of the Illinois Coal Op-
orators Association.
The Joseph Taylor mines at O'Fallon.
employing about 100 men, were worked
yesterday. Mr.. Taylor having signed the
scale. Yoch Bros. also signed and the
Darrow mine will be worked to-day, 1t is
said.
In Belleviile and the immediate vicinity
the mines which were worked were as
follows: Avery. $50 men: Superior, 100
men: Pittsburg, fifty men: Summit mine.
fifty men: Skellet mine 200 men: Royal
mine. 800 men, and Gartside mine, $50 men.
The Maule mines will be started to-day, IL
is said.
EXPLAIN THEIR POSITION.
The engineers of the Believille division
who are out on strike met in Belleville
last evening. A statement Of their posi-
ton was given out by G. T. Rawson.
chairman Of the Publicity Committee 1t
was an answer to certain statements said
to have been made by operators, and Is as
follows:
The operators. and not the engineers asked
for arbitration last year after they had waited
until the old contract had about expired, and
for that reason the engineers had to work
over the time Of the expiration of the old
contract awaiting decision OF the arbitrators.
and then the engineers lost by that decision
and had to take what the operators first Of
fered.
The votes Of the miners outside the State of
Illinois caused the reduction in their salaries.
as the majority In Illinois was against accept
ing a reduction
The operators want to compare the wages of
their engineers with the wages of the miners
Of Illinois and the wages OF other engineers,
but II they would give the engineers a fair
comparison they would give them an advance
instead Of cut.
The miner Of Illinois goes to work six days
q week, and is generally out Of the mine. ready
to go home. within seven hours OF the time
he goes into the mine. and has the privilege
Of laying of whenever he pleases, with moth
Ing said, and still the average wage of the
miner Is far above that OF tho engineer.
The engineer cannot have any of these privi-
leges. as the superintendent invariably tells
him that he has no other licensed man to take
his place. He has to work seven days a week
the year around with not even a holiday to be
At home. and he Ii now working for at least $40
a month less than the miner makes and the
operator 10 endeavorfns to cut his wages IS a
month moro. notwithstanding the fact that he
then 90 before a very strict State board and
pass a rigid examination, both practically and
technically. as to his ability. and he Is held
responsible for the condition OF the machinery
around the mine. while the miner Is held re-
sponsible for nothing.
In answer to the point made by the operators
regarding the wages paid engineers in other
States. We desire to prove that the engineers
Of Illinois get but one third as much a ton as
the engineers Of Indiana.
The average mine Of Indiana hoists only 20
tons Of coal day, and the engineer Is paid
$7b q month. which Is II cent q ton for coal
hoisted. The average mine of Illinois ho.sts
TO tons Of coal day, and the average en-
gineer is paid SIS month. which equals 5s.1
cents a ton. or about onc-third as much as the
Indiana miner. These figures are on q basis
Of a mine running twenty days a month
The contention between the operators and the
engineers is only H.72 month. or one -thrtieth
Of cent ton at the average mine. We think
that IL the public will thoroughly slft this mat
ter they will find that 1t is simply a ruse of
the operators to increase the price Of coal, as
the difference is too small to cause a strike or
lockout OF their miners