New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-14

number of pits. as they may yet find
| themselves obliged to do. But they are
not ready for that. They made no eff
fort. They left the Trade Unions mas
tiers of the situation. 1t is a duel be-
tween the Trade Unions and the Gov
eminent or would be if the Government
could resolve TO use their undOubted
power. But thus far all the fighting has
( been done by the Trade Unions and all
the honors Of war are theirs. The Gov
eminent have not fired a shot nor lifted
finger. They have handed over the
whole coal area of England, Scotland
and Wales to the organized mob which
! calls itself the Miners Federation. Said
my Midland friend:
I'VE are powerless. and so are our
men. We know that thousands of them
would return to the pits tomorrow #
they could return safely. They know
we are ready to meet them. On the
points they themselves consider essen
| tial or advantageous we are willing To
make concessions. We are ready 10
meet them, for example, in respect of
abnormal places"
What is an abnormal place."
| AN abnormal place, In mining Ian
guage is a place where a seam Of coal
suddenly ends Usually there has been,
some thousands or millions of years ago.
some slight CONFUSION of nature, which,
for a certain distance has lifted the
seam or sunk it. The miner finds him
self confronted by a solid wall of rock.
He knows the coal is above him or below
him. but experience shows it is better TO
push on through the rock till the coal is
found again. We know geologically
that it will be found, but we do not know
how soon. Sometimes in a few days,
sometimes not for weeks. Now, a miner
is paid not by time but for the coal ne
sends TO the pit mouth. While he was
working away at the rock he got moth
ing, in old times. Latterly, in many pits,
the owners and miners have shared the
loss, and l believe we owners are now,
all of us, willing TO bear our share. But
the men. coerced by their unions, now
refuse what once they would have ac-
cepted joyfully. They demand min
imum wage, whether they get any coal
or not. And they refuse 10 discuss It
any longer AS a question Of abnormal
places"
| asked him about the probable dura-
ton of the strike.
II cannot tell you. Some of the in
fluences which used to make for peace
now make for strife. The wives, for
example. They were always the first 20
suffer and the first TO coax the men
back; the distress Of the children help
| ing. But since the Eight Hour bill was
passed the conditions are changed If
I the family consists Of father and sons
they always work In different shifts, so
that if there's an accident whole fam
lily is not swept away. This means that
the wife has TO cook meals for her men
three times day; at in the morning,
. in the afternoon and 10 at night; be-
sides the washing and all other house
duties. She is worn out and therefore
grateful for a strike, the only holiday
she gets"
What sort of terms are you on with
your mem"
AS a rule. the best. ! may tell you
that for twenty years l have been
member of my District County Council,
and II is the miners votes which have
put me and kept me there Laterly, my
colleagues chose me as Alderman.
| toll +ho,, h. tYip ho
because the miners who voted for me
would vote for no other man Of my
| party. And lost It has been"
Yes, but how is it about mining af-
fairs?"
ours is almost a patriarchal rela-
ton. Disputes among the miners them
selves are frequent; and there are dis
putes between them and the pit man
ager. They always come to me. listen
to both sides and decide as / think right
They accept my decision and go away
content. They know 1 mean TO be fair
l claim no credit 1t Is for my interes:
to he fair. The men work better and
the pit yields more coal"
Even In the midst Of the present war
there is, on the part of the owners, an
absence Of bitterness Personal rela-
lions are not necessarily disturbed. The
two men who on each side are most con-
spicuous are Mr.. ID. A. Thomas, the
great Welsh coal owner, and Mr. Harris
horn, the Welsh Syndicalist They met
i'm London outside the Foreign Office
where the Conference was held, and
shook hands. A day or two later Mr..
Thomas made a speech attacking the
Syndcalists' methods, which are meth
DDS Of violence. But he spoke Of their
leader as my friend Mr.. Hartshorn."
OF which j can only say 1t is very
English. 1t would seem to make agree
ment easier, but I don't know that it
does. They are just as immovable on
questions OF principle or policy, and fight
Just as hard. Perhaps you have not
forgotten that during the Boer war the
wounded Beers were gathered from the
battlefelds into the English hospitals.
and cared for precisely as English SOL
diers were cared for G.. w. s.
!
THEATRICAL NOTES,
Paul 0-lenefF tho pue,tor oo.o- LII, 81,