The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-05-17
GOAL CONSUMERS
SAVED s25,OOO,OO0
John Mitchell Discovered Op.
orators Had 8,OOO,o 900
Tons Stored.
PART OF BAER STRATEGY
Mine Owners Kept Secret the Amour
Of ooai on Hand-caiiins Off
9trike Means Much to
the Country.

Philadelphia, May 16.-NNhat have
the people of America saved through
John Mitchell's action in preventing an
anthracite strike?
Eliminating the cost in human lives
and injuries, the wages OF the mine
workers and the loss to the wage earn
ers and capitalists in the host of in
dustrial establishments which would
be affected by a prolonged suspension
and calculating only the extra price
the would be obliged to pay
for the reserve stocks of coal held by
the operators, the saving which has
been accomplished is tremendous.
At no time during the suspension did
the railroad operators and the indie
pendents give anything approaching a
stocks. This was kept secret from the
public and the miners as q bit of the
Baer strategy with which the battle
was to have been fought. !
Eighteen Million Tons Stored.
John Mitchell sought the informa-
ton, and when he could not find it di-
rectly from the companies obtained it
in his way. His investigation satisfied
him that the stocks would nave lasted
well into the winter, and. at the high
rates which would have been eXtorted
as the strike dragged into the late sum-
mer, the mountains of coal would have
yielded enormous profits to their hold
crS.
This knowledge was potent in inhu-
encing Mitchells advice to the mine
workers. He found that within 100
miles of New York city more than
9,000,0 00 tons, mostly domestic sizes,
We're heaped, and that as much more
could be upon in the storage
yards at Bridgeport, Port Richmond,
c. NTinln1,r md Ntho, ,nipt- -, IOarr-
sylvania, and in the output of the OPP
Grated WaSheries and collieries like the
Cayuga, oxford and Bellevue, in Scran-
ton
Reduction Comes Quickly.
From these $4,000, 600 tons 40 cents
per ton has been cut by one brief SEN
tence from the anthracite rust's head
quarters in the Reading terminal. The
Very day the anthracite miners voted
against a strike.
This announced deduction is from the
list prices Of anthracite, n is far low
er than the real gain to the people.
Calculations upon the 40-cent basis
shows that the people saved at least
81, 200, 900 on the is, 900, 900 tons which
the operators had or would produce.
But the real saving to the people, as
Jas been said, in the price CT coal is
much greater than 40 cents. The retail
price OF domestic sizes fell 90 cents, and
Of steam sizes IS cents. a ton. Calcu-
lating his saving of 10 cents upon the
total of s 5000, 900 tons shows a grand
total of So, 500 1000.
Consumers Save $25,o00,000.
It must be remembered that his was
only the beginning Of the struggle be-
fore q strike was even declared. Moth
ing is more certain than that the aN-
crage of 10 cents q ton over last weeks
prices would have been more than dou-
hled within We months if a strike had
been declared. The people, in that event.
would have been InulCted to the tun4 of
more thar S25, 900, 900 over and above the
normal cost of coal.
1t is a fact that independent operators
and owners of Washeries were already
getting advances ranging from 81 to 81
a ton for their steam sizes.
This estimate makes no count of the
millions of dollars which Mitchells ac-
ton has saved to the business men of
the anthracite region, nor those other
millions which would have been shearad
from the investments in all manner Of
| securities. 1t is only a glance at one
| corner of the picture, Il corner which
affects every household n factory IN
which anthracite coal is a necessity.