The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-30

Cleveland, O., April 2s.-The Cleve-
land Citizen, edited by Max Hayes, has
ben called upon to furnish proof that
the anthracite coal barons. as charged
10y him, had cleaned up $75,O00,000 last
year as result of the coal strike. Mr..
Hayes replies as follows:
For the information of those who
may have doubted our statement we
herewith submit the results Of an in
vestigation made by Mr.. Guy Warfield
for Worlds Work, a New York maya
zine, and which quite likely served as
a basis for various articles that are
now being printed in daily and weekly
newspapers. Says Mr.. Warfeld:
Il asked President j. L. Crawford, of
the Peoples Coal company, of Scran-
ton, famous for selling coal for $40
ton during the strike:
Are you sorry the strike occurred?
Are you satisfied with the awards of
the commission?
I'm not kicking,' he replied to both
questions.
II asked other individual operators
the same question. I found them more
wary. They would talk little.
But here are the financial results of
the strike a year after it's close: The
coal that would have been mined if nc
strike had occurred was. according to.
the anthracite coal strike commission,
about 25, 900, Doe tons. Thus the miners
forfeited about s$25, 100000 In wages.
This same commission awarded the
miners, when they settled the strike, a
wage increase which, including the
sliding scale, is estimated at it's high
est to be Is per cent. This increases
the present wage cost of mining to
$1.18 and the total cost of mining to
$2.18 per ton, the costs other than
wages amounting to about 81.
Before the strike the average SELL
ing price Of coal at Underwater was
about $3.50 per ton. A year later this
price averaged $3.50 per ton.
, At $3.50 per ton, with the cost of
production $2.1S. the operators profits
today may be estimated at $2.72. At
$3.50 per ton, with the cost of produc-
ton at 50, their profits before the
strike were about $1.60 per ton, or
about SLIP less than now: Since the
settlement Of the strike the coal COM
panies have produced more than TO-
100000 tons of coal, which have been
distributed in the market for some
thing in excess of $75,000,O 900 more than
would have been received by the opera
tors at the prices prevailing before the
strike.
about $75,000,000 additional for
their coal as direct result of the
strike-this is the financial prize of
the operators.
Arbitration or no arbitration. the
tn, Hor twill
riches him. The public pays the cost
of the strike in the increased price of
coal. The operators win; the public
lose"
The Chicago Tribune sums up the
situation by declaring: Tin other
words, wages have gone up 18 per cent.
and profits 68.''
It is question whether wages have
increased 18 per cent. when we con-
slider the fact that the coal barons in
creased the rents, prices of necessities,
robbed some Of their employees of the
shorter workday and forced the men
to produce more pounds for what they
are pleased to call "ton,'' to say moth
ing Of swinging blacklist and victim
izing men-and all with the consent OF
Roosevelt's anthracite strike commits
sion, which settled things. -. .@'-s. =
AS for Mr.. Warfield's opinion that
the public loses" it. might be added
that the pub1ic-the working people
always lose in the final analysis,
whether it be SO orb00 per cent, where
the mines, railways and other indus
tries upon which they must depend are
left in the possession of, the 'Rockefel-
lers, Morgans and Bares: =. Government
ownership is the. only solution for this
highway robbery no matter; how
much those who oppose the principle
may dodge or squir1n. :, .- : /
RIa aTRlkE IN SAx0Nv.