The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-09
G.. L. Walker Gives Operators
Side of Usage Controversy.
Says Mines i'm District Operate
at Disadvantage.
VOLUNTARY INCREASE IN PAY
The Raise Granted Last May
Was Not Demanded.
Idle Men Said To Be Going to
Pittsburg Fields.

lingame today from the southern Kan
sas coal fields to the effect that the
Jackson-Waiker Coal company, also !
an Usage operator. is employing men |
who have quit at Scranton, Burlin- !
game and Usage City. in the COM |
pany's Cherokee and Pittsburg mines. !
dissension that may mean a settle !
ment of the labor troubles, was re- |
ported among the operators The /
miners-about 500 of them-quit
work in the Usage fieids several
weeks ago because the operators re-
fused to allow wage increase
Men coming to Burlingame today
from the southern Kansas fields, said
the miners who We're leaving the
Usage district were being employed
| by the Jackson-Walker company on
their arrival in Pittsburg, at a scale
that allows them to make more. The
miners walked out because they said
/ the Southwestern operators schedule
/ of pay allowed men in other fields.
including southern Kansas, where coal
veins are thicker to make more money
! daily. The mining of more than
! ton a day in the Usage fielcS is inn
| possible the miners say. because of
| the thinness of the veins. In other
! fields the veins are thicker and one
man may mine more tons.
The Southwestern operators sched-
by the ton. The schedule n the Usage
! field is $3.50 and s1.S6 a ton. The
| miners, in order that they might make
as much as miners in other fields.
asked for the increase of 90 cents
| ton Operators holding out against
| the men, it is said. are not approving
| the Jackson-Walker policy of giving
; the striking miners employment else
| where and taking them out of the
| Usage field.
Walker Writes Letter.
In reply to articles dealing with the
Usage strike printed in the State
| Journal July 20 and 29, G. T. Walker,
president and treasurer of the jack
! Walker Coal & Mining company,
! today sent the following letter to the
editor of the State Journal:
Several of your recent articles on
| the mining situation as it now exists in
| the Usage, Kan, field, have recently
come to our attention. These articles
/ are so plainly biased and contain so
| many inaccuracies, if not actual
misstatements of fact, that am
! prompted to write you on the subject
| 1 am doing this believing that you and
your paper would not Intentionally
publish articles which are mislea ding.
| There has been no coal produced
| in the Usage district at cost of any
| thing like the figures you quote, for
! the last several years, nor has anyone
| operating in that district been able to
! do with any profit as a general
thing for that period. In your state
ment that the operators gave the
miner only ten cents per ton advance
the first of last May and increased
/ their selling price so cents per .on
you lose sight entirely of the fact that
the day men were advanced 90 per
cent, which means approximately 60
cents per day All kinds of supplies
and equipment which enter into the
cost of producing the coal are costing
today anywhere from one hundred
to five hundred per cent more than
they did a year or two ago. These
items must be reckoned with just as
much as the wages paid to the miner
and if these are all taken into account
the prices which the Usage opera, ors
are now asking for their coal, and in
fact must get if they sell it, will be
found fully justified.
There has never been any dispo-
sition on the part of the operator to
treat the miners any way but fairly.
The advance which we gave them Ia st
May l was identically the same as
was accorded the miners in the East
ern districts and far as the opera
tor was concerned, was voluntary for
the reason that we had only last Au-
gust given them an advance and re-
newed their contract for two years.
and Notwithstanding that that contra ct
) was in effect until July 81. 1918 we
met the condition which had been es-
tive district negotiated their new con-
tract last April on the increased basis.
Mines Under Handicap.
1T is a we'll known fact that Oss ge
: district coal, for the last eight or ten
years. has been at serious disa dv;an l.
tage in meeting competitive conditions
with all other Goals by reason of the
fact that its cost has been arbitrarily
and unjustifia bly, increased as compar-
ed with all other Goals with which il
must compete. Very little of it can be
marketed at this time and pra ctica lily
none of it is sold except during the
fall and winter months when market
conditions and the demand for all
: kinds of coal are such as to let i;
move. and its territory in which it ca n
be sold is becoming more and more
restricted each year on account of its
! non-competitive cost. To add any
[ more to that disproportion is abso-
: lutely impossible in any case, and il
} would operate to the detriment of the
miner who depends upon that district
for his work just seriously as
. against the operator.
, If necessary to substa ntiate the
i statements 1 have made in this COM
: munication, l will say that our pay
rolls, cost and earning statements fol
| that district, for the last five yea rs
are open for your inspection, l have
no doubt would also be the case with
reference to ether operators in thai
field. l have sufficiently good opinion
i | of your sense of fairness to believe
that you will take advantage of this
), offer as a means of getting at tht
= | actual facts
= &c. T. WALKER, President"
The State Journal published Mr.
Walkers letter. because the paper.
policy is to print the news of the da,
and set forth both sides of every issue
Mr. Walker declares the articles OF
' the Usage situation printed in thi
newspaper are biased and contain
3 many inaccuracies. if not actual mis-
= statements of facts
: The stories appearing in the Stat,