Bisbee daily review., 1912-04-03

PennsylYanla, about 10000 men. were called into service before the strug gle came to an end
 President Roosevelt was instru- mental in bringing tho two sides to. getbeT and to the agreeing to the appointing of the Anthracite Coal strike Commission to arbitrate the differences. The commission visited many mines and examined 558 witnes- es between October 1902 and Feb ruary 1905. It awarded ten per cent inlrease in wages to miners and reduced tho hours of men who were paid by the day from 10 to hours a day, and made numerous recommen- datiOns tending to better the working conditions of the men. It also creat- cd a board of coneiliation, to which has been referred most of the. griev- ances that have arisen since the com missions awards were made.
 The commission estimated the loss es caused by that strike as follows:
 Decrease fJ5coal production. 24.604,- 4S2 tons.
 Decrease in the receipts or coal companies, S46.1OO,00O
 " dEEo AbSi bN AiAtls SEDsUVDsVVNs
 Miners relief fund, sl.SO0,OO0. Decrease in coal freight rates. s28, 900 0OO.
 These figures show a loss of more than $1OO,0OO,00. Besides this there were losses sustained by the railroad workers and employees in other in dustries and there was general para lysis of business in prosperous sec tion of the state
 The award of the strike commission remained in force for three years un- til 1906 when it was renewed for an other period of three years after the miners had suspended work for about SIX weeks. When this agreement eX- pired on March 3l, 1909. a new presi- dent of the miners union, T. L. Lew is, took up the negotiations for the men. This time the miners did not stop after the compact had expired but agreed to continue operations, pending negotiations of a working arrangement. After conferring until twenty-nins days after the agreement entered into in 1906 had expired the commission award was again put into effect for another three yeaars with the addition Of live stipulations ad justing matters that had come up during the life of the award.
 The anthracite miners began to pre- pare for the present trouble last fall, when they held a convention in Potts vile. Pa and formulated these de mands
 IA one year agreement.
 Eight hours a day for all class es Of men.
 3.-Recognition of the union in ne- gotiating wage agreements and the riEht to provide method of collect ing revenue for the organization.
 A more convenient and uniform system of adjusting grievances with in a reasonable time limit.
 5.-A twenty per cent Increase in wages.
 GA minimum of s3.50 per day for all miners and S2.75 for laborers for consideration work.
 That the system, whereby a contract miner has more than one working place ill the mine, or em- ployers have more than two labore1s, shall be abolished.
 S.-That the right of check weight men and check docking bosses shall be recognized and that they shall not be interferrgd with during the per formance of their work.
 9.-That all coal be mined and paid for by the ton of 2,240 pounds when ever practicable.
 During the winter efforts were made to strengthen the union, which met with considerable success, and then came the negotiations. The opera tors committee, whose personnel re- mained the same as in all the former negotiations found another new man leading the miners, John r. White.
 Three meetings between the opera tors and a committee of the union miners was held in New York City At the first the miners presented thelr demands. at the second conference the demands were refused and at the third session the miners made a reply regretting the action of the coal com panies The operators, in refusing the wage increase declared that the pro fits would not admit an advance with out an increase in the price Of coal. They proposed another renewal Of the strike commission award for three years, declaring that it hal worked satisfactory and had brought peace and prosperity to the region.
 One feature about a suspension this year is that 1t would come for the second time in year when presi- dential election is to be held This may have some influence in settle ment il the tie-up should continue for any length of time.
 The anthracite mine workers in their strikes have been aided by law on the statute books of Pennsylvania providing that mine workers before they can become miners, that Is men who actually cut O. blast coal must have miners certificates. In order to obtain these. they must have under the law, at least two years exper- fence in an anthracite mine. The law was enacted primarily to safe guard life and property and in times or strikes it operates against the impor' tation of miners from other fields, who have not worked in the hard coa!