Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-27
BULLS AND BEARS
Special Dispatch to The star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, September 27.-About half
OF the city council of Chicago is said now
to favor the new proposition submitted by
the street railways for twenty-year fran
chise, eleetrifications OF all routes and other
important improvements. with an option to
the city to purchase at the end of a stated
period. 1t is believed that the municipal
ownership propaganda viii be content with
some such compromise, and this prospect
sufnciently accounts for the advancing
strength Of the Chicago Union Traction
shares.
The Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse brought
in $4,000 gold for the City Bank yesterday,
The stockholders OF the Wheeling and Lake
Erie Railroad Company at their special
meeting yesterday voted to rescind the ac-
ton taken by the stockholders on May 70
authorizing the issue OF $50,000.000 OF fifty
year per cent gold bonds OF the company.
and In substitution authorized the issue and
sale OF $35,0O0.000 of fifty-year 4 per cent
gold bonds. to be secured by mortgage
or deed of trust covering all the railroad
owned or hereafter acquired by it, subject
only TO any now existing liens.
The Coal Trade Journal says:
The amount of anthracite that Is being
mined fully carries out the suggestion
made some time ago that this would be a
good year In the way of tonnage, for the
eountry's requirements are growing and
for this class of fuel there will always be
a widening demand. One need not expect
to see any great increase from this year s
tonnage standard as the years pass. for
the capacity of the breakers and that of
the carriers does not run much over 5,OOO,-
600 tons month. Labor is an unruly ele-
ment ana does not give any hope of i'm
Provement, but, on the contrary, takes
every opportunity of reducing the output
by stoppages, by shorter hoHrs, while It
has through its certificated miners COM
plete monopoly. Fact Is that II is mixed
up with fiction In many Of the stories sent
abroad as to the position of labor in the
anthracite region. 1t has been stated that
the average number of working days in the
anthracite district was 200 in 1903, and go
In 1902, and the aggregate yearly earnings
or the miners were far below those OF
employment 300 or more days a year.
These two years are not fair ones for COM
parison, yet even then the statements here
made are not correct.
''The average in 1902 (the long strike year,
was 116 days. and In 1903 1t was 211 days,
as average time the breakers worked If
the men had desired more work 1t could
have been made. Again 1t is said that the
only important bituminous mining districts
where the United Mine Workers are not
thoroughly organized are certain sections
In Pennsylvania and in southern states
Labor leaders insist that the condition of
the men in those places is inferior in every
way to that of the men in sections where
the union holds sway. The conditions are
not inferior, If one takes the amount
of money earned in a year, because
steady employment at less rate is
often better than infrequent at a higher
The present arrangement in the anthracite
region. based on the result Of the anthra-
cite commissions findings, is equitable in
every way. In the soft coal regions wages
are too nigh. compared with the prices real
lied for the COAL On this grade OF fuel the
consumer has had all the advantage in the
past year"