New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-03-12

sliding scale, the Schuylkin region Is instanced.
where Il says the increased labor cost would
amour. 10 1854 per cent The statement says;
The average labor cost Q: the sohuykn oollieries
a ton FOR tie year ended December g. 40, was
N-556; proposed increase Of wages VIII amount 10
% per cent. OF -SSeS cents; total S-Ss[a
The statement then gives figures 10 show that
under .he scale demanded the company would
be paying out In wages $4,000 more than II
would receive from the increased price Of coal
II says that the operators cannot grant increased
wages without advancing the price of coal. and
they were not willing 70 advance the price OF
coal The companies were compelled 10 advance
the price Of coal when by the aid OF the public.
the miners succeeded in getting their wages
raised IN 1902. AS to weighing coal IL says:
In 1917 one OF the demands made IN behalf Of the
employees was that the existing methods should oe
orA ass sn 20 f o 9s 20 o5sa 20 reason has
ever been suggested why IL r. 1ot quite as proSeTT
consideration of the matter the commission Dc
cided against the demand and refused 10 disturb
existing conditions
A request that the operators shall collect from
each employe certain stated sums for the sup
port Of the union is denied on the ground that
as a matter Of policy the operators would not
make such an agreement and as g matter OF
law they were not permitted TO make it The
request for the abrogation Of the board Of con-
ciliation. formed under the award OF the anthra-
cite strike commission. OF any change in us
method such by substituting boards Of min
ers. IS denied on the ground that the system pro-
posed by the miners would mean the creation Of
a series Of minor boards. whose decisions would
he likely 10 conflict. and from which appeals
would have 10 be taken TO arbitrator. This,
the statement says would create more delay than
exists present II says that the complaint Of the
miners that the board Of Cancellation does not act
promptly is not warranted by the facts. AS 10
the demand for the new sliding wage scale, II is
denied. on the ground that the sliding wage scale
fixed by the anthracite strike commission COW
ers practically all the propositions in the pro-
posed new scale. The statement ends:
i had been our hope. and. we trusted. the public
haustiye investigation and findings Of the ,dstin-
Strike cor,r5fssor utoI5 10 - esfsbIisb ist ana
permanent adjustment % the relations between the
your suggestions that an entirely new and untTied
arrangement should be made which is only 10 last
Tor one year.
The statement covers a good deal Of the
ground gone over by President Wilcox Of the
Delaware & Hudson company in his reply 10
President Mitchell OF the United Mine Workers
granting a request for a conference. While ii
contains more details its general gist is the
same as the Wilcox letter.
1t is thought unlikely that there will be
general strike Of both soft and hard coal
miners as i'm such a they would be all
idle. whereas II only one section were on strike
the men in the other section who would be at
work would be able TO contribute to the sup
port Of the strikers Though the principal state
associations OF soft coal operators have gone
on record as refusing the demands for increased
wages, yet II is thought possible that when the
general convention of the operators meets. on
March ~ in Indianapolis President Roosevelts
letter 70 President Robbins Of the Pittsburg
Coal Company may have some effect. It
said yesterday, however, that the influence of
Mr. Robbins, who was in favor Of granting the
increase after the receipt Of the letter from
President Roosevelt, has Waned considerably.
According to the predictions Of the anthracite
operators from time 10 time, a strike of the
anthracite miners would be a failure There
is a reserve OF from 6.OO0o00 10 5000 900 tons
OF anthracite stored up a result Of the mild
ness OF the winter, and this would be added TO
by the supplies which have been stored up by
the railroad companies and the dealers Alto
gether. ii is thought that in case OF a strike
there is a summer reserve on hand which would
last four or five months. In the soft coal dis
tricts they have little capacity for storing coal
and soft coal. besides. deteriorates on exposure
20 the air.
There has. however, been an overproduction
owing to the great number Of people who are
engaged I'm running collieries. During the strike
Of 1902 there was such a demand for soft coal
that many hundreds Of small operators started
anthracite strike ended and matters came
down to a normal condition the trade suffered
from over competition, and recently many of
the colheries have been working only one or two
days a week.