Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-05-24
COAL BILL GOES |.
UP S18,OOO,0OO
Consumers Are to Pay Increase
in Wages Granted to the
Mine Workers.
BIG OPERATORS ARE OUT
WITH STATEMENT TODAY,
General Advance of twenty-five
Cents a Ton Is Effective
June /.

The announcement in the Evening Star
of yesterday of a Forthcoming advance
in the price of coal, is followed by en-
culars sent out today by the great oper-
| ators, showing that the jump in domes-
tic anthracite is twenty-five cents a ton.
The public is informed indirectly that II
must pay the 10 per cent. increase IN
wages recently granted to the mine work
ers. The new schedule of prices goes into
effect June 1.
When the price TO the dealers is adj
vanced to $5.25 a ton on the date men,
toned the price to the consumers viii
jump from $3.50 to 1918 a ton. What pro-
portion of this increase will so to meet
the increased cost of mining and how
much will be clear profit to the operators
Is a question which anne be answered
accurately without examination of the
books of the mining companies and of the
coal carrying railroads, and these books
are not available except to the employees
of those corporations.
Profit for Operators, Too.
As nearly as can be estimated, how
ever, the advance will be profitable to the
operators as well as to the miners. As
there are approximately six million tons
of anthracite mined every month, the adj
vance of twenty-five cents means al III
crease of about 81. 500, 600 a month, or
SIS, 900. 900 a year, to the operators.
As the increase of wages of the miners
amounts to $4,000 COO a year, the re-
mainder of the Increased revenue, accord
ing to coal men, represents profits to the
companies, which onsumer must pay
-. 4t.1 .p,a ..~axtaI 80 thu
striking miners was nominally 10 per
cent, 1t really amounts to only 5.6 per
cent. according to the admission of the
operators themselves, owing the aboli-
ton In the agreement of the sliding
scale of wages heretofore existing. Tie
sliding scale provided that for every )
cents above $3.50 added to the New York
price of the domestic sizes of anthra-
cite coal the miners were to receive an
increase of l per cent. In their wages.
1t is the custom of the operators to es-
tablish a New York rate for coal, going
into effect in April of each year., and
add 10 cents a ton each month up to
and including September, the September
prices then prevailing until the follow
ing April, when the prices are again
reduced 50 cents. The resultant increase
in wages to the miners under the slid
ing scale has amounted in ten years
since the scale was adopted to as per
cent, according to the operators own
figures. This increase. under the new
! agreement, is lost to the miners, and
10 per cent increase is thus really re-
duced to only SIS per cent. ~
How Prices Have Scared.
Opinions of coal men vary as to the
justification of the advance in the price
of coal. The price has advanced stead
lily from SO a ton IN 1902 to s. a ton ut
tidewater in September, l211. To these
figures must be added the pHofits of
the wholesalers and middlemen, which
must be met by the consumer, and
which ~approximates $50 a ton. 1t Is
said by representatives of the mine
workers and business men who have
studied the subject that the increase in
cost of mining has been greatly at va
Rance with the Increase in the price of
the commodity, the difference being In
favor of the operators, whose annual
profits aggregate many millions of dol
lars.