The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-11-05
WORD IN DEFENCE
OF THE COAL MINER
Prom The Report Of The Scale Com
natttee to Their Locals

In view Of the many and adrers" ed'-
torials appearing in local papers r'Ia'i'"
TO the coal mine strike, II is well 10 aC-
quaint the public with the SITUATION III
the mining industry ~ It IS TO-DAY. ,,o
AS interpreted 10y tho MINERS tnS
the end Of the war November llth, 1919
or until April LIST. 1870 If the war lasted
that long. Therefor" the Cleveland con-
vcntion was called. which fixed N"Frin-
bcr l. 1919 as the day Al cAlStihH con-
tracts shall end. formulated the present
demands and cndcaN cred TO negotiate
new wage scale :.
In asking = so percent increase in
wages, the miners haSc their demands
first: upon the high COS; Of living. which
since 1914 has Increased 10 :" percent
secondly. the miners Increase IN pay
during the same period totallcd 80 per-
cent. or - percent loss than tho increase
in the cost 81 living. tThesc hHurcS
complied hy Secretary OF Labor W llson.
and Fuel administrator Garfield.
During the same period. soft coal
prices have increased to 10 percent. or
! 20 percent in excess Of the increase
Federal Trade Commission shows that
bituminous coal operators made a clear
net profit, of from 50 cents TO Sl.UO n
ton. where prior 10 the war they op"rat-
ed upon 4 net prOnt OF less llah ten
cents per ton.
During the entire course Of tho war.
coal production was increased To mani
mum (from 50U.00O.00U tons in 1915 ana
1916, to GSj.000.O0O tons In 1913 with
- 900 young miners in tn" army. In
some places where n large amount "t
stone had to be moved without pay Gal
most Onc-third III" amount 81 coal
minCd) production was maintained to
the limit of human endurance. III uruCr
to make near q LIVING wage.
State and government statistics show.
that covering the period from l"l% :"
1919 the average lnCOfN" ol IN" nIn"rS
in Ohio WAS 500 per year. the same in
Western HcunSyl.anja and from $500 to
$3.50 pcr year ia Illinois and Indiana.
The bureau Of Statistics of the Depart
mCut Of Labor in n recent huI!'tln,
stated that the average American family
of four required an income Of $500 a
year in order to maintain 4 decent stan
Iard Of living, and upon this the miners
base their reasons for negotiating Il new
contract At this '!u'".
Sine" the arIuIStIrH IN" miners hay"
not been employed - percent Of In"
tiu". and locally. last winter and in tho
carly spring, this fell as low as five
days \ month 1t Is upon this that the
miners base their demand for Il sin
hour day, and emphatiCally not. ~ III"
public Is lead to believe. to CUrtail the
hours Of production.
The merits Of th"S" and all OthAr
propositions the operators refused I"
consider. and in III" absence Of counter
proposals on tn" part Of tn" upcra' orS.
the Cleveland convention was without u
basis upon which 10 Negotiate. ar con
thu" In session. resulting in IN" Strik"
decision bv the assembled delegates and
the resulting tic-up If III" coal indus.
try.
difficulty now Hinges upon his cOnN"n-
non which can ,.nei1y. b.. r:tlI,I tuE,thrr
again II tn" operators show q wiling
ness I" n"Gotra'" along TN limos 1T col
lcctIvc bargaining IN considering tn"