The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-08-05


I A&SSS&sA\A the coal mines owned
lLS%SNN0AN ~ by the Alabama Con-
solidated Coal and Iron
company" said Col. T. G. Bush the pres
ident, yesterday. Il have no objection to
making a statement which l think can
be easily understood.
when the miners met in convention to
present a scale of wages for consider
alton on the part of the coal operators, I
had hoped that they, knowing the condi-
lions as to the iron market and the needs
of the iron manufacturers in order to
continue the operation of their furnaces
and avoid loss on the sale of iron. would
manifest enough liberality and courage to
volunteer a reasonable concession in the
scale of wages thus temporarily bearing
a part Of the burden. This, In my judg-
ment. would have strengthened them with
the operators and this community. and
would in the end. have been for their
best interest
Operators Conferred.
Following the presentation of the scale
by the miners, the representatives of the
iron companies, and some others, con-
ferred with reference to the merits of the
proposition made, and made a counter
proposition based upon 40c. minimum
which with other changes make the pro-
posed reduction from the present mini
mum, 471ac Pratt basis. about 171k per
cent. This proposition was presented and
n Nit ,+ot Il
the miners by the iron companies COM
mittee, but was rejected by the miners.
The miners, later on, made a counter
proposition, proposing the adoption of last
years schedule. The operators declined
this proposition and renewed their origi-
teal suspension of negotiations, 1t ap-
pearing that neither side was disposed
to make further concessions. While in
my judgment the proposition Of the min
ers to adopt last years contract, under
present conditions, was not fair and reas-
enable. l was disposed to consider that
the demand by the operators was extreme.
Whatever the necessities of the iron COM
panies may be, the proposition made by
them could not be considered reasonable
from the miners standpoint and 1 felt
that it would be resisted by them to the
utmost
Saw No Prospects.
Recognizing the situation resulting
from these negotiations. 1 saw no pros
poets for a settlement that would be
mutually satisfactory and felt impelled
to make an Independent proposition on the
part of the company l represent which 1
felt assured must be considered fair and
reasonable from any standpoint, for it
only contended for the least concession
that the miner could make with refer
ence to the general scale. The proposition
as applied to this company was to reduce
the minimum Eva cents per ton, making
1t 40 cents as against 47Ia cents last year,
leaving the maximum 57ls cents which
the miner would secure when the average
price of iron of all grades would be- saw
$3.50 per ton. Other features of the
proposition referred to putting the Searles
mine, with six feet of clear coal on a
sliding scale, with a differential of cents
per ton under the Pratt price, or to re-
duce the fat scale from AVA cents per
ton to IS cents. The cal punching ma
chine is only used by this company( Ala
bama Consolidated Coal and Iron com
pany) at Its Lewisburg mines. When this
machine was introduced into those mines
tentative or temporary arrangement
was made particularly with reference to
differential to be allowed the machine.
Machine DifferentaI.
I'm order to meet the views of the
miners and to decrease what seemed to be
violent OPPOSITION on the part of the
miners to the use of the machine at all,
l consented to &c per ton differential
for the machine temporarily, it being the
lowest price allowed for that machine