Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-03-30
I 100000 men
Will Quit Work in Case
Of a Coal Strike.
Great Struggle Will Begin
Next Monday Morning
IInlesc ()nerafors and Miners Hp3ch an
Unless Operators and Miners Reach an
Agreement Tomorrow.

Saturday night between the on
Gators AMI miners of the coal fields OF
the country there viii begin Oh Non
| day next tn" greatest struggle LctU,cu
union labor ard its employers that thr
| United States has seen for many years
| perhaps Ill" most important labor
Contest tin country has even seen. Til
agreements under which thc United
Anne WORKERS. of Ann riyd ARE working
| !u both tn. anthracite auI bitumiunu
fields III expire with The month. ami
not a single scale nas yet been siSnc'!
nor is there even an JErrcmut that tn.
men shall continue at work Temporal
lriy pending Il settlement. az has Often
~ "a TIL ras'-
| OF couTsv. VI hat Is timed {" occur ~:
| Monday next * not i strike by the
% inc. or Il lockout ny IT,. employers
Lut simply It suspension of work by
ne miners. which the public generally
ellis "A strike On the history Uf past
strikes. IN all ijU.OOO miners. min,
workers and llh"rcrs r. likely 10 b,
Involved in !. General strife ~. O0t
il the bitunn"US fields AMI $4,000 il
tn anthracite. EGth operators aild
miners hay" h"' preparing :or IN
ISt!ihg for at lrL> Il var ami Il halt
ITE" operators in Tie antlira"it" fields
havr many MillioAs Of tons II Goa
istor'l, ana tn operations of The hiturui-
nous fields haze I'll the biz nruufac-
turing plants ANA railroads. stock, i,
with 4 supply tia; will il:,; :rr per
Laps two months. on Tho other n.lnd
tII,. l.iiicrS hay" rudy - G"rlI:.:,. ai,,t
| :,
several lniilj"'l, rn pubic win b.
IN" "'l" to -" caught unprciGr"I
| TIL" expiration Of bituminuus con
trrcts without ."n"Wals having bee,
E.aic would bring 5000 uaiun mcr
cut "f The mines Of Crutral ana West
,rn "nn.yll.,ud. l0,"no out az IN.
West Virginia mines. 5000 uut nl
ltli". 1000 IN Indiana. $4,000 in Hi
n"is, 1890 in I"n.t. 4n0o i'll Michigan
5000 ~ Kentucky and 1o,000 in thc
lS"uthW"St aTr Statcs-Kausas, Misenu-
II, Indian Territory, Arkansas anl
Texas. Most Of the Alabama miner.
ROW ar" GA strike and have been fni
HE past Is months ut cost of nearly
l%3.n9p. 900 4 the nHtinrII organizes ton
Estimating the average miners aver
KS ''ftt''S 1T H1-'' Il Year., lll' miners
IrEs in wages would he 500. 900 !;
week. Til reduction of 80" per cent
ia wages accepted by the hituminous
miners two years ago reduced their ag.
r.gttr annual wages $1S.0p0000 81
&-n000.09D year. This is what the!
- sire to get back. III" increase. woul,
Md approximately only about ; cent.
Il ton To thc actual cost of each ton o.
cuu.
| II IN" anthracite miners are unabl,
L" make i contract with their operator:
lHhd they. too. 70 on Strik", this vii
IJdd $4,000 men and swell the total {,
l1h"ut $4,000 mon.
tn" great anthracite strike wa,
clarrd May II ana it ended oct. %
til" estimated loss Of receipts by thu
"rcraturs was $i6,i0O,00O, the loss il
W"G,, to mine employees was $4,000,
600: ;irr" WAS Il decrease in frcigh
receipts Of transportation comIanic,
amounting To $2S,0O0 900 ana incidental
lcSscs added many millions more
bringing the aggregate loss far abov,
$500, 600 900.
Il The miners ut this time have AZ.
Ipruximttely $i00.o0o in their nationa
| w 'lShIE 'tiltl nave S-.bUN,HUb III fllS.
: trict. subdistrict and local treasures
: There IS little over $4,000. 900 in hare
cash dvatlahl" for Il suspension. Th'
fully piid-up membership is 81 90,
h"n. The per capita defense fund il
IaE Of these treasures is Il little les.
than $40 Ia the man. However, tines,
: funds arc not evenly distributed. Owe
100000 of the money is in the Illinoi:
district treasury ana il belongs to thu
. Illinois miners absolutely. ohio Ia.
approximately $l50.Co0 in it's distric
treasury. the two Indiana districts al
! lHeGreGite of $l25.000. hut many of til,
; ,improvilcEt districts have practically
10 district funds on hand.
, 1t has been /. peatediy demonstrated
THAT funds are not absolutely ncccssar,
10 the success of strike. When tn,
1894 strike was declared the natioua
on ganiZation was $500 in debt Min,
thousand organized men took 10000
lHiincrs out and kept them out almos
three months and won the strike. Ii
1897 the organization had only St00t
available. Again a handful of mel
lShut all Of the bituniuous mines il
the great mining districts ana KEEP
them shut for three months ana won
III 1894 TIL" mining districts had beef
on public charity for weeks before III,
strike was declared and the miners
had no personal reserve funds.
The condition in 1897 was somewhat
better. but not much. The bitumi
nous miners have had peace for sever
lyCars and many have bank account
land have bought themselves homes
Many Of these homes are on two o
three acre patches Of ground that vii
furnish sustenance during the next few
months if the fight should be declare,
land drawn out so long.
The same conditions exist t" a Ger
tain extent in the anthracite fields
Though the anthracite miners have hat
ICnly three years of peace.
The operators also are well prepare
flor a struggle. Practically all larg
: consumers have reserve supplies q
IooaI an hand though small factorie