South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-11-01
DIVINE RIGHTS" BAER SOON To
BE HEARD AGAIN.


The ascending voice OF Divine
again. as we are told. in the anthra-
cite coal fields Of Pennsylvania. The
coal trust is preparing for its expect
ed wage fight with tie anthracite
coal miners. The four-year agree
ment Between the mine workers and
operators ends on March 81. 1915.
The mine workers. meeting last
month at Wilkesbarre. Pa. formulat-
ed the demands which they Will pre-
sent TO the operators at the expiration
OF the present agreement. The four
most important demands are CD rec
ognition OF the union. 90 eight-hour
day, CD twenty per cent increase IN
wages. and CD "a mUTe speedy. sim
plified and satisfactory method of set
fling disputes"
The mine owners are preparing TO
resist these demands and the proba-
biIty Of another big strike grows.
Already the operators have arranged
for getting newspaper publicity for
their side of the case. a selected
group Of newspapermen have been in
vited TO inspect the mines" of the
companies. They will be Furnished
with free transportation TO and from
the mines, will be entertained, wined
and dined at the expense of the COM
panies. and will be given a three-day
opportunity 10 investigate mine cOndi-
tons The result is expected TO be
favorable publicity for the coal trust.
Should the miners win their de-
mands, an immediate increase in the
price Of coal viii probably result.
This may be forecast by what hap
pened four years ago when the pres
ent ACRE ement was made. Coal prices.
wholesale and retail, Immediately
went up The mine owners said it
was because wages had been advanc-
ed. But an investigation Conducted
by the T.. s. Bureau of Labor in re-
Spouse to a congressional resolution
found that while the average whole
sale increase in coal prices jumped
25.S2 cents per ton (the coal cOmpa-
MES receiving in 1912 a total Of S13,-
received for the same tonnage at pre-
vious rates. the miners received an
advance of only Sc per cent in wages,
representing AN average increase Of
Q cents a ton in the cost of producing
coal, and totaling in round numbers
1900, 900" The strike thus bene-
fitted the coal operators to the tune
s-9vr Of
coal mined since it occurred. or about
thirty-six million dollars in four years.
AS with king Coal" increases in
wages paid employees Of railroads and
other large corporations are also gem
orally made the pretext for boosting
freight rates and selling prices. 1t is
interesting. therefore, to learn from
the governments figures just at hand
that for the year 1911. thirteen west
ern railroads dispensed fOrty-three
million dollars in dividends on COM
mon and preferred stock (this being
practically all water). the book value
Of which stock was S4S5,392. S37. The
total amount paid in wages by these
same roads to engineers and firemen
in the same space of time was S39.-
474.2O5 In other words, dividends
on the watered stock of these lines
amounted I'm one year to nearly four
million dollars more than the total
outlay in wages to engineers and
firemen. and these dividends take no
account Of interest paid on bonds,
short-time notes, and other charges
which railroads regard as preferred
lien and pay before they begin to ac-
cumulate for dividends on their pre-
ferred and common stock. Is it any
wonder the laboring man does not
feel that he is getting his?