Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-19
GERMANY FACES
SERIOUS TROUBLE
NUMBER OF COAL MINERS ON
STRIKE is $4,000
Indications Point to Long and Bit
ter Strugsle-Authorities Take
Measures to Prevent
Violence
By Associated Press.

ESSEN, Germany, Jan. 1S.-The stu-
alton in the coal mining districts is be-
coming more serious daily. The num-
Der of strikers officially reported now
reaches $4,000, which is more than dou-
BILE the number who quit work in Ger
manys previous strike, which was the
coal miners strike in 1889. The nego-
tiations of the government commission
ers thus far promises nothing favora
BILE. Everything now indicates that the
strike will be long and bitter one.
The question is, how long can the min
ers hold out. Next week they will re-
ceive the pay for work done in Decem-
Der and part of January.
This. with contributions coming in,
it is thought, will be sufficient for five
weeks at least. Government officials
are beginning to admit that the strike
will last a long time, and are taking
measures accordingly for preventing
outbreaks. In some towns the police
have ordered that saloons be closed at
an early hour.
Non-union laborers are joining the
unions in great numbers and the min
ers evidently are determined to make
hard fight before surrendering.
Everywhere excellent order prevails,
but on Tuesday at the Centrum mine
police and gendarmerie were stoned,
and in self-defense drew their sidearms
and wounded several of the strikers.
The assailant was arrested.
While the Mine Owners association
maintains naughty and unbending at
titude, two of the subordinate mines
have acceded to the miners demands.
These are the Rhein- -Preussen, owned
by Herr Haniel, one of the coal mag
mates of Germany, and the other the
King Philip. The employees of both
mines went to work today.
In the conference with the govern
ment commissioners and representa-
tives of the miners detailed grievances
of long standing showed that con-
ditions of work had changed greatly
through the increasing depth of the
mines, causing higher temperatures
and thus necessitating shorter hours
of work 1t was claimed that the pres
ent nine-hour day exists only on paper,
owners ordering overtime whenever
they wished. The miners also demand
ed a change in the system of canceling
wages for whole carloads of coal when
they contained too much refuse 1t
was asserted that 100000 carloads year.
| ly are thus cancelled. The average
minimum days wages. it was claimed,
should be fixed, cutters getting $1.12
day.
Herr Moeller, the Prussian minister
of commerce and industry, received a
dispatch from the strike district to-
night. estimating the number of strikers
at 100000 and saying that only eleven
small mines, with total of 5000 opera
tives, are wholly unaffected.
Reports from various parts Of the
country indicate a great disturbance OF
trade owing to the lack of coal Ship
ments of English and Belgian coal are
expected. A dispatch from Kiel says
that vessels laid up for winter have
suddenly put to sea to bring coal from
Newcastle. 1t is a question whether
the strike will be confined to Essen.
Agitation is in progress at zweickau,
the center OF the Saxon coal district.
All things indicate that the strike
will cause tremendous disturbance OF
German trade. 1t is expected that
within few days 100000 laborers will
be out OF employment through the
shortage Of coal supplies.
The sympathies OF the public appear
to be mostly with the strikers. owing
to the attitude OF the Mine Owners as
ISOLATION and the presence Of real
grievances
The ACKNOWLEDGEMENT be grand