The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-26
KEEP HANDS OFF
OR PAY PENALTY
Public Warned Prices Will Be
Advanced if Miners
Are Aided.
Journal Special Service.


should enable the miners to exact the
demands they now make upon the oper-.
ators. y
Such is the conclusion of a statement
issued today by the presidents of the
declare That if tEs public should aid
the miners in obtaining their demands
for hs.-awages, the price Of anthracite
coal would be $1.20 a ton more than
that paid for it during the last three
years. s Ill.
The statement declares that if the
demands of the Mis- are granted the
public must pay the difference between
what the miners are now getting and
what they are asking for.
| The Operators Statement. e.
| The anthracite coal operators state
ment is as follows: .-.T
"Much inquiry has been made as to
the precise calculation by which the
anthracite coal operators establish the
fact that in order to grant the de-
mands made by the coal miners it will
be necessary to raise the price charged
the consumer by $1.20 a ton. The de-
mands Of the miners provide for a
| threefold increase of wages: =:
'' Tristan increase Of 10 per cent
to all miners engaged in cutting coal
or other men engaged on contract work.
"Second-The establishment of a
minimum wage for each class of labor.
This minimum day wage, in many in
stances, is 100 per cent greater than
! the rates now being paid.
"Third-The establishment Of an
eight-hour day, instead of a nine-hour
day, without any reduction in a days
pay.
How They Compute It. -
"By careful calculation from the pay
rolls Of the operating companies, the
| effect of the three increases is to add
an average of 21.64 per cent to the
actual labor cost per ton Of coal. This
is equal at the, present labor cost of
$1.55s' to an increase of 1868 cents per
/ ton on all sizes of coal which are mined.
1t must be understood, however, that
the so-called steam sizes of anthra-
cite, which are by-product of the in
dustry, como into direct competition
with bituminous coal and must, there
I fore, be sold for a price regulated by
soft coal. The result is that all the
added labor cost of the entire industry
must be borne by the domestic sizes,
which comprise IS per cent Of the en-
tire output.
'Ih1s is exactly the same principle
that holds good in other manufacturing
industries, as, for instance, in the grain
or milling business. Wheat at present
costs about SO cents a bushel Aftel
this wheat is milled, 81 per cent Of the
product sells for price Al per cent less
than the actual cost Of the wheat, be-
fore milling, and the cost of the -four
or main product, has to be increased &C.
cord1ngly to make up for this loss. II
onfh 10
! ~ Burden on Homes.
"This placing the burden on the do
nestle sizes-a fact against which there
can be no appeal-brings about that
the labor cost Of each ton of coal to the
domestic consumer would be raised
under, the new demands by 51.8 cents a
ton.
j "The general public asks, why
would not the addition of 51.S cents to
the market price regain the entire ex
ignores one Of the important awards
Of the Roosevelt arbitration board, viz:
The sliding SCALE -.
According to the sliding scale, the
present fiat rate of wages must be paid
for every ton of coal soid at tidewate1
for $3.50. Every cents increase on this
market price of coal under the sliding
scale adds L per cent to the wages OF
every class Of laborer. The significance
of this is that out of every 5 cents of
additional price the miners employed
by the Lehigh Valley Coal company
for instance, must receive 2.9 cents and
the operator 81 cents. -s-@
4 Push Up the Price.
It is thus apparent that if the mar.
ket price Of coal should be increased
so cents, the operator would receive
only FL cents to recoup him for the
51.8 cents added labor cost per ton be-
fore the increase began.
1t becomes necessary, therefore, to
push up the price Of coal until the net
share Of the operator is sufficient tc
pay the 51.8 cents. It will be under
stood that the miners wages increase
with every advance in the market
price. But the operator must secure 8
sufficient net increase to equalize the
net increase paid to the miner This
i equalization is reached, according to the
figures Of the Lehigh Valley Coal com
pany; at about $1.20. Some of the com.
panies estimate the raise at little less
some at little more. But the princi
pie is always the same. y