Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-02-21
MINE WORKERS
AND OPERATORS
LIKELY TO AGREE
John P, While Shows That
Railroads Which Own An
thracite Coal Mines Make
Enormous Profits,

isp sos.isa isosst, ssfoite tr,ssp WIS,
= New York, Feb. O.--llcpfcsontt
: tivcs Of the anthracite coal oporutor
ana the United Mine WORKERS Of An
erica arrived here today to attend th'
joint conference thai viii open e.
morrow to consider the demands o
The miners for Now wage agree
mrnt
Tho demands Of tire union leaders
. who represent more than 10000
Workers. in brief are.
Twenty per cent increase u
wages. full recognition of the init,
Mine Workers, a two-ycM contract
Instead Of the oyistnf fonr-yea'
agreement which expires March 81,
an eirht-huur working day
Representatives Of nineteen an
thracitc companies issued a statement
here cn February 3, IN which they
attacked the miners demands as IN
Just aud oontondod that to grant the
increase would make necessary an
ladvnncc Of sixty cents q ton in the
price paid for coal by the consumer.
! Cost OF Food Increased.
ON tho other hand the miners claim
| that the cost of food in the last
twelve ycars has increased forty per
cont and wages only five and q haif
per cent The demand for iva IN
stead OF four year agreement IL has, i
on tho contention that the cost ~
living Is rising SO rapidly that a wage
feadinstment Is essential al least bi.
ennially
After the clore Of the anthracite
conference. - Amiluf meeting will ne
held here Thursday between the mil-
ers and operators IN the soft coal
fields The soft coal men alrcady
have conferred AZ Mobile. Ala with
cut being able 10 reach an agreement.
The principal point Of difference was
the question Of new wage scale fo'
the western Pennsylvania. ohio, In
diam and Illinois fields. 10th sides
have expressed their belief that an
anllucable agreement viii he reached.
John T. White. president Of tb"
United Mine Workers Of America, who
Arrived here today fer the conference,
Issued statement IN which he said
in p0ii
Whites Statement.
The miners arc going into this con-
terence with every confidence that
the operators viii recognize the Tus-
ticp and renHomblcness of their de-
mnnds aud thai a satisfactory agree
mcnt viii hc signed
The only class of workers In The
anthracite industry thot makes more
than t,00 yenr is the contract MN
crs representing less than one-fourlh
OF he total number employed. Tho
annual carnines for miners, laborers
other Inside mtn aud outside work
men nvcfttRe mol more than 5000 L.
bor statistics ahow man can not
support hla family IN dcccney fer
less lhnn $3.50
yet the anthracite Industry isI
enormously profitable Tho railroad
that own aud control II lave paid big
dividends ON heavily watored stock
ana have laid up huge snrpluses be-
sides. Ia 1913. The Heading earned
1876 per cent ON IT, common stock
after The payment et all expenses IN
eludiAe fiNcd charges aud prcfcrrel
div idendA. The Central of New Jcr-
acy ha paid sG.13 per cent The lie
high yalley 1880 per cent The lRcka-
wanna 3e.oi per cent aud the Dch
ware nnd llndsen 1885 per cent This
was in the bad Year of tNl3. before
The present prosperity began aud these
ioads are enormously ovor-eapltal-
izcd
Hopes for lair Treatment
AS matter at tact don't believe
the operating companies are willing -
take advantage of their monopoly ar
this enormously rich natural resource
either to dony the Just claims at the
mon Mhe risk their lives under
Ground or 10 grant their demands
and then make IL an cNeusv for gons-
ing the public
This is a year of prosperity. sv-
eB year Is Il year 81 prosperity toi
The anthracite operators. The MINI
crs are asking only Il little part of =;
as their share. They ARE asking IT,
not that they may become rieh--thr'
have no hope OF that II the demands
are pranted they will still he gcttine
l,ss than almost every one who reads
this statement and worklns harder
end taking more risks than most e.
son They would have mighty lttlo
lett after paying their bills, tor moV-
sing picture shows of amy of the Other
things that make human hcines SOME
lhiug mure than beasts Of burden
AN my people are asking Is
chance 10 live in drceuey aud conn
tort and security They want enough
to buy milk Ton their babies and TO
AAc them hlr stsrt ana e. keep
thcmsohts out of the poui house ln
their old age Thc1 don't want 70 We
always tn debit to the butcher ami
srueer and dootor They don't want
then wives tu gee about badly dressed
snd o,crwotkod from keeping a honsn
tom nf putdrrs'
s--
tVat uf Russian ,lrmen.
Paris. Feb 2o t5sfa n. NIL IN
formation prints dispatch from na-