New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-23
COAL MEN PLAN BIG
RAID ON CONSUMERS
Anthracite Interests to Add
More than Enough to
Make Up for In
creased Wages.
MEANS S6,00O,0O0 PROFIT
BURDEN of 25 Cents Additional
Cost Will Fall on Users of Do
mestic Coal, as Steam Sizes
Are in Competition
with Bituminous.

Are III OulpCOlUioh
with Bituminous.
II vas learned Yesterday that the
anthracite mine operators have pract-
callv decided on the amount they viii
take from the American people this year
IN return for the increase granted to
the miners. 1t is S6.O06,145 10. And it
is not 10 end with this year. on the
contrary. they purpose to continue to
themselves this annual unearned incre-
rent due 10 their strangle hold on the
public until the next time they have to
raise the miners wages. when they VIII
wv 70 increase il
The operators taka great credit TO
themselves for their self-control IN only
taking 81. 900 600 year out Of the pub
lie. and are making elaborate prepara-
uons for the applause they consider IS
their due for this suppression of the ego
for the cosmos In fact, ii the applause
II not as spontaneous and as loud as
they think it should be they are goIns
10 help it along by telling about their
,acrifce and explaining how they are
barely coming out even by raising the
price of domestic sizes Of coal only -
cents q ton wholesale.
II is true that it is the finest example
ot public generosity ever shown by the
anthracite operators, and 1t can be bet
Ter appreciated when il is remembered
that in 1911 they took an added and un
earned profit from the public of $40
S45.S66 IS on account Of the increase
granted 10 the miner in 1900 and 1907.
In the ten years from 1902 TO 1872 their
unearned profit handed to themselves
because Of the increase Of 80 cents ton
in the miners wages has been SIS cents
for every ton Of domestic sizes of coal
sold 10 the public, or approximately
t317,7120o0
Not Much for the Miners.
Seen in this comparative light, it is
evident that the additional profit OF
$4,000. 600 the operators are preparing TO
slip themselves this year is d mere
baeatelle. But then again il is TO be
remembered that this is only a part OF
their prospective unearned profit Tor
this year They are still going to hold
on to the s4l,00O,000 they made last year.
They are gong to raise the miners
wages 5A per cent. The operators VIII
raw that the increase is 10 per cent. but
IS the sliding scale has been abolished
the increase is actually 5i4 per cent.
Calculated on the basis Of the 1911 pro-
duction. which is expected to be IN
creased this year, the increase in wages
will be S6.096,4l7 90.
They could. therefore, have allowed
the miners their increase and deducted
II from the unearned profits. and still
have had the handsome unearncd profits
annually of s34819,449 SO. But after
careful consideration they decided against
that course and determined instead, to
increase the price Of coal sufficiently TO
cover the raise i'm wages TO the miners
and add 4 small additional profit for the
operators. so that their total annual un-
earned nrofit will be not s6O06,745 10, but
S46,852611 IS.
The operators signed an agreement
with the miners on Monday by which
the wages of the miners, their laborers
and the other employees about the col
Neries and breakers, who work on the
wage system and not on salary basis
are TO be increased 10 per cent. on the
face Of il, this would seem 10 add ap-
proximately 10 per cent to the cost OF
anthracite production AS matter Of
fact. from 1902 until Monday sliding
scale Of wages was in effect by which
the miners and other employees made
large part OF the fiat increase which has
now been given TO them.
How sidinq Scale Worked.
The sliding scale provided that for
every 5 cents above 81 so added to the
New York price of the domestic sizes
Of anthracite the miners we're to receive
an increase OF ! per cent in their wages.
It Is the custom Of the operators 10
establish a New York rate for coal
xb,ng into effect IN April of each year.
Each mouth up TO and including Sep
tember 10 cents ton Is added TO the
Anrn prices, and the September prices
nrevau until the following April when
the prices are again reduced so cents
The purpose Of this is to distribute
coal sales more equally throughout the
YEAR, but az the April price approximates
t450 a ton, the result for the miners has
been a gradual increase in their wages
through the summer, until the maximum
has been reached I'm September. ms
increase has amounted in the ten years
since the sliding scale was adopted, in
1902, to "a per cent year, so that me
10 per cent increase given TO the miners
now over the 1902 wage basis actually
means an increase of only 5l+ per cent.
In 1907 the total production Of anthra-
cite was 1864 SCI tons. while the wages
paid 10 the classes of labor included in
the Increase amounted 10 s9ooo5'ol4.
This meant q labor cost of Sl2IS ton
for the production Of anthracite. In 1910
the production was 7O,6s2,522 tons and
the wage amounted 30 s90.0S5,6SS. Thi :
wac labor cost Of tl274 a ton.
The year $40 is the latest In "hich
total wage figures are available. Th2
production in 1911, however, amounted
20 90l101, ,176 tons, and there was N
change In the wage scale between loo'
or 1910 and 1911, and 1907 and 1910
were typical years in cost of production.