Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-04-29
UNIONIZING MEN ONLY POINT
OF ISSUE, SAYS ROCKEFELLER

NEW YORK, April 29.-John D.
Rockefeller, jr., after a six-hour con-
ference yesterday with his associates,
including Starr ]. Murphy, his imme-
date legal adviser, issued the follow
ing statement:
I'm view of the Inaccurate accounts
which have appeared in the press re-
garding my interview yesterday with
Congressman Foster, chairman of the
committee on mines and mining, /
think it proper to make the following
statement:
I'm that interview, at which Starr
j. Murphy, one of the directors of
the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company,
was present, we pointed out to DIR.
Foster that of the many coal COM
panies in southern Colorado we We're
interested solely and as minority
stockholders of the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company, which controls
only about one third of the output of
that State.
After a long and full discussion of
the question in all it's aspects, DIR.
Foster was unable to make any sug-
gestion which did not involve the
mission of that question to arbitra-
ton. We stated to him that If the
employees of the Colorado Fuel and
Iron Company had any grievances
we felt sure that the officers of the
company would be willing now, as
they have always been in the past, to
make every effort to adjust them sat
| isfactorily. I'VE showed the doctor
that all of the points which are
claimed to be at issue, with the ex-
ception of unionizing the camps, the
| Colorado Fuel and Iron Company haC
voluntarily granted to its employees
| long before the strike was called OF
| talked of.
Concessions Already Granted.
| "These points are:
! "First-The eight-hour day. This
was established by the fuel company
| for all of the coal miners some TINT
ago.
! "Second-Semi-m pay. Whel
| this question was raised by one o
two miners in one of the camps of tn
| company the officers at once STUDIED
| the question, and without delay de
| cided to pay not only the miners II
that particular camp twice month
! but all of the miners employed by tn
company.
"Third-Check weighmen. For sew
| eral wears the Fuel Company ma
raised no objection to the employment
| Inv the miners of their own checl
weighnen. as is done in Easter
mines where union labor Is employed
In order that new men might under
stand their right In this matter som
time since the officers of the compan
gave instructions that circular
should be posted in all the mines
stating that the company had Away
encouraged its miners to employ thei
| own check weighmen.
Fourth-Company stores. 1t ha
been charged that the employees of tn
Fuel Company are Obliged to buy a
the company's stores. The store
keepers are under strict instruction
TO saw to all that they are at libert
TO trade where they please; that tn
company is glad of their patronage
Int that their standing will not b
affected one way or the other by thel
action in the matter. As result c
n study made in one of the minin
camps of the company, it was foun
that only twenty-five per cent. of tn
wages of the men was spent in tn
company's stores.
Wages Have Been Increased.
"Fifth-Wages. In spite of the fac
that no dividends have been paid o
the common stocks of the compan
since our connection with it-a mat
ter of at least ten or twelve years
and only $780, 900 has been paid on tn
preferred stock, of which the create
portion represented payment on aC
count of an accrued dividend whic
had accumulated during many year.
the company voluntarily increased tn
wages of its miners last year by
total amounting to 100000 a yea
The wage scale compares favorabl
with that of any similar mines
whether union or non-union. in an
part of the country.
"In addition to the above. the onl
matter which has been raised by tn
union is the unionizing of the com
nanY,s camps. On this question {