The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-09-18

trla, tho rate OF remuneration Is 20 low
that the workingman cannot live In de-
cency, and In many CAGES cannot even |
maintain himself In physical vlgor. Gem
orally speaking, wages are highest where
the men are best organlzed, and It is
one OF, the objects OF this Congress. !
parts OF Europe, In order 10 maintain
a fair rate OF wages for coal mining
throughout the world.
One OF the most serious questions dis.
cussed by the Congress was that OF
nilne sanitation. IN many parts OF
Europe. In Great Britain. France, Bel.
surfer from a worm disease. called anKi-
lostomaisls. This worm. which Is very
small. Is usually to be found In damp
and badly ventilated mines It destroys
the rcd corpusces Of the blood and pro-
duces feeling OF lassitude and an entire
absence Of energy which pr ess the
are mines In which as many as 90 per
cont OF the miners are affected by this
disease. which not only reduces eff.
cheney OF the men. but weakens them
to sucll an extent that they become
highly susceptible 70 other diseases The
invcstiga ton Of the worn, disease and
advocated that legal measures be taken
to arrest and combat IT'S CATION.
The chief Importance of the Congress
is Its Indirect. rather than Its direct
consequences. The Congress has no
The adherence OF the unions In the sew
tcral countries, but almost all OF the
resolutions are adopted by unanimous
vote. and the Congress exerts a strong
moral influence upon the miners' oEgani-
cations and upon the community In gem
IL tfN
considerable space to the proceedings OF
tho Congress. and much interest was
manifested In tho. future plans OF the
organization. With each year the innu-
3cnce OF the Congress becomes greater as
the miners In the world realize that the
problems which beset them are more or
less similar in all countries. 1t is now
proposed that the Congress eventually
form itself into a permanent body by
2 tho appo intnent OF an International gee.
rotary and the establishment Of CEN
trail Office. II this is accomplished, the
permanent secretary Will secure infor-
nation bearing on the conditions Of min
ers the various countries. and this ln-
formation. printed In German. French
and English, viii be widely distributed
SO that the miners In each country may
be kept informed OF the conditions IN all
parts of the world.
As in all Congresses, much Of the most
Important work OF the Miners Congress
Is done outside OF the meetings. The
tries where wages are high and condi-
ations OF labor good. upon represents
tiyes from countries where organization
Is just beginning. has been extremely
effective and beneficial. The meetings of
the Congress also lead TO the settlement
! OF long -sta nding difficulties. During the
present Congress. 4 for instance. the Amcri-
can delegates were able 10 make im-
portant arrangements for the transfer
or admission Of members from one cOnn-
try to another. these &arrangements be-
Ing made with Belgium, France. Ger
many and Austria. In the past some
friction and misunderstanding had arisen
owing to the fact that when French
man or German presented himself for
admission to the American union and
asked as a foreign unionst to be eX-!
c,nptcd from paying the initiation fee, 1t
was frequently impossible totcll whether
the applicant was or was not member
OF foreign union. This difilculty has
now been entirely done away with by
the adoption OF atsunform system, and
this reform is entirely due to the fact
that the delegates OF these countries and
from America were enabled to meet at
an Internal onal Congress.
The chief service conferred by the In
5ternaeional Congresses has bccntthc moral
aid which they have given to the orr
ganizaGon Of miners into trade unions.
throughout Continental Europe. This
organization is proceeding. with much.
rapidity. although the continental miners
are still not nearly so well organized as
their brethren In the United States and
Great Britain. The difficulties of organi-
zatlon areaeven grea,eraln such countries
ms Germany and Austria than In the
United States. In Germany. for instance.
the union has to deal with the same
problem of uniting different nationalitlcs
as Is encountered ii the United States
During recent years tens OF thousands OF
people OF differing nationa lilies. includ-
Ing Poles. Hungarians,8 Czechs Italians.
and others have entered the German
mines. These people, usually una BILE TO
speak German, live BY themselves IN
company patches. or what are there called
colonies. Every effort is made. however.
TO reach the people OF foreign nationality
and with much success The German
miners. for example. isSus an excellent
weekly Journal printed In German, but
containing one page IN Polish. giving,
the most important. news in that lam
pie OF foreign birth underb.d the native
miners. but with the progress OF the
years the fOrcign-s speaking people be-
came strongly imbued with the pr!nci-5
pies of unionism. and they are now among
the most ardent and enthusiastic Of
also invaded the mines OF Belgium. and.
to a Hconsidernble extent. OF France. but
In all OF these countries. the problem or
different nationnlties speaking different
tongues is being dealt With IN some what
the same manner as In the United States.
z The continental miners. no wever. have
even more serious difficulties TO contend
with. This is especially true OF Ger
many. The attitude OF the great pro-
ducers OF coal is one OF absolute, uncom-
promising. and unwnverlng hostility. and
at all times they refuse to meet with
the union nr TO discuss terms. The rates
OF wages. the hours Of work. and the
conditions OF employment arc liked by
the large operators. who post notices on
their walls. There is no recognition OF
tho union, no conferences between repre-
sentatives Of the two sides, no answer
that;the men can make except silent ac-
n,liescence or Il strike The operators,
although organized into huge trusts. arc
opposed to he very existence OF unions.
and would iflt were possible. take away
fr..,,,,=t i,o legal right to tOn