The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-09-30
Miners \ \ PREPARE FOR
ANOTHER BIC !! STRIKE.
Make -Four Demands for Con-
oesions from Anthracite Coal
Operators in East. -
Eight Hour Day One Item in
the Schedule to Be Fought
Out by Coal Miners.

~~S0~ ovo~A~~S~s
Philadelphia. Sept. 2s.-John Mitch
ell, president of the United Mine
Workers Of America, was in the city
today in his capacity as vice-presi-
dent Of the American Federation Of
Labor.
It can be stated on the highest au-
thority that the convention of the an
thracite miners which will draft new
demands for presentation to the coal
companies on the expiration Of the
strike commissions award, on April I,
next, will be held in Shamokin, be-
tween December and 10.
Draft Of Miners Demands.
It was learned today that convention
will make the following demands:
Flrst-A recognition Of the miners
union by the coal operators, the recog-
milton to take the form Of signed
agreement. =
Second-The substitution Of an eight
hour workday for the nine hour work.
day awarded by the strike commission,
which is now in force throughout the
hard coal fields.
Third--An increase in pay over the
minimum wages now paid to men and
boys who are not contract miners, but
are generally classed as unskilled Ia
Dor.
Fouth-A uniform scale of wages
for workers, not actually miners, at all
collieries.
The contract miners number about
10000 In the total of 100000 hard coal
workers. in and about the mines.n
the shamokin convention obtains the
concessions outlined 1t will mean large
additional expenditures by the coal
companies in increased wages.
1t was pointed out to Mr.. Mitchell
that the statement had been made that
the views he expressed could not be
granted without an advance Of 50 cents
a ton being levied on consumers Of
coal. He replied:
Taking the figures Of experts, the
coal companies collected $50, 000,00O ex-
ira from consumers following the
award Of the strike commission, and
they have never pretended that the
miners got more than $4,000, 900 as
their share.
1T seems to me that the mine work.
ers, on the operators own showing.
have not: received their full share of
the increased prosperity"
Soft Coal Masnates Prepare to- Join in
War Against Miners.
Pittsburg labor unions make the an
nouncement that the biturninous oper-
ators Of the country are preparing to
fight the coal miners.
The announcemnt is in part as fol-
lows: +S+''
ON November ~ a general; meeting
of all bitumftods coal operators OF
the country viii be held in Chicago
to discuss what attitude they Will take
toward the miners in regard to the
next wage conference
The :bituminous operators have for
some months been crying out against
the present wage rate of the miners.
reduction for 1906, because 1t was i'm
possible to pay the rate and live. Just
as the sentiment was being formulated
in a definite manner the Tennessee
and Kentucky men took the plan off
it's feet by agreeing with the miners
for another year.
"What the result will be It Is hard
to predict. It is claimed by a majority
Of the Pittsburg operators that 1t will
not necessarily bind the interstate
agreement n1en" to a similar action,
though it will influence the case heav-
lily for the miners cause, and in spite
Of the lower ruling rates for coal
throughout the territory. It is held
No. b
the price Of coal or a reduction in the
cost Of mining, by lower wages, as
the companies have all taken off other
costs to the utmost limit.
The operators that win be active in
the Chicago meeting will be those Of
Western Pennsylvania. Ohio, Kentucky,
West Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana, H.
lino!s, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri In
dian Territory and possibly Colorado.
though the latter state is not regarded
in any possible form as a competing
market"