The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-12

the employers and The employees. IL goes
on:
1t is true that the award of the Strike
Commission ceases to be absolutely con-
trolling as to future conditions after March
ri, 1905, but its decision after protracted
inv estigation, with any other tribunal
and with disinterested persons generally.
would be final as to the matters involved.
So, too. il seems scarcely conceivable that
any party to the award Of the strike COM
mission would seriously seek to renew or
retry the very grave controversies which
were fully heard by that distinguis he'd tri-
blnal and were decided by it in pursuance
Of the Presidents injunction, to endeav or
to esta blish the relations between the en-
ployers and the WI ge workers in he anthra-
cite fields on a just and permanent basis
and az far as possible to do away with any
causes for the recurrence Of such difficulties
as those which you have been allied upon
to settle
30 NEW FACTS PRODUCED.
"The award Of the commission and the
action of the Cancellation board there
under should therefore be deemed con-
elusive as to all facts and issues which they
covered. Clearly, the only question pro-
perly open ia whether there are any ne
IA cts which raise new questions beyond
the scope of the arbitration which has al
ready taken place. No such new facts
arising since the award have been brought
to public attention, and 1t is submitted
with great respect that nothing Of the sort
Is contained in the pa pers which have been
re Ceived from the committee re prese nting
the employees or in the subsequent letter
Of its chairman. 1t appears from an ex-
animation of that paper that the subject
matter of its provisions is fully covered
by the awards already made by the strike
commission and TIE coIciiiation board.
NO reasons or grounds are given for
disre garding the results so reached by
arbitration, but the pave consists merely
of a so-called contract. conta ming such
provisions as seem to The committee TO be
advanta gaotls. II is based apparently upon
the view that the action of the Strike Com
mission and the Cancellation board should
60 for nothing and the questions which
they settled should be %reopened for further
controversy. If that were SO arbitration
would be empty and those principles OF
justice and fairness TO each other and to
the public which nave been thereby estab-
ished would be completely set at naught.
For the reasons already stated his view
must be deemed unsound Upon all facts
or issues within their scope the awards
already made should control
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CONFERENCE.
The conference of operators and union
officials which ed up to the presentation OF
the demands was held in this city on Feb
ruarv Is. Two committees of seven were
appointed. one of operators and n of
men, with the understanding that the miners
were to formulate in detail the propositions
they had to make and to give such reasons
as they chose therefor. 1t was also I'M
derstood that the committee representing
the operators would then reply to the
propositions submitted, The demands in
detail were given ont yesterday, together
with the correspondence concerning them
that passed between Mr.. Baer and Mr..
Mitchell. Under date of February % Mr..
Baer called attention to the fact that no
reasons accompanied the propositions, as
had been agreed at the conference.
MITCHELL JUsTIFIEs HIS DEMANDS
In his answer. which is dated the next
day, Mr.. Mitchell said;
1T would be, Of course. entirely imprac-
llcdDlt lOI uS W hcSOIidlc tANiu'INoAI ny
correspondence, and | think you will agree
with us that a personal discussion would
lead to more satisfactory results.
However, briefly stated, we favor a
uniform scale of wages for men paid by the
day, hour or week, because OF the fact that
men performing precisely the same charac-
ter and, indeed, the same amount of labor
cannot work with any degree of content
ment while the compensation received by
them is not uniform. At the present time
this condition exists in the anthracite field.
We feel that the proposition which we nave
submitted, fixing uniform rates for similar
classes of labor. will appeal favorably to
the members Of your committee, and that
the rates themselves are entirely conserva-
tive and not in excess of rates paid to men
performing practically. if not exactly. the
same class of labor in bituminous mines.
we propose an increase of 10 per cent.
In the rates paid to contract miners for
several reasons. First, the general in
dustrial, commercial and trade conditions
of the country justify an increase OF wages
to all classes of labor. The prosperity of
the coal carrying roads is unprecedented,
as is demonstrated by their reported earn
ings and the enhanced value Of their stocks.
argues FROM THE BITUMINoUs FIELDS.
We favor an eight hour workday because
eight hours is the andard working day OF
coal mine workers in nearly all the bituml-
nous districts Of our country, as well as in
many of the mining districts Of Great Brit
ain and the Continent, and eight hour is
as long as a man can work in a coal mine
without doing injury to his own health
and consequent injury TO society. We be-
lieve that the establishment Of a maximum
eight hour working day will not reduce pro-
duction materially, even If figured upon the
basis Of the output per man per working
day.
we favor the system Of weighing and
paying for coal by weight, wherever the
conditions Of the vein would make this
system practicable, because the present
system. whereby coal is paid by the car,
has given rise to much discomfort. owing
to the varied sizes Of cars now in Use and
to the constant friction which naturally
arises when new cars are built n intro
duced, and to the seemingly unceasing