The sun., 1919-11-05

at the same wages paid them when
they voluntarily quit work without ref
erence as TO whether they were receiv-
ing a decent living wage or not
He says the figures he gives are from
a report OF the Federal Department of
Mines. They show that the average SELL
ing price of coal at the mines In 1918
was S2.S3, an increase of 184.8 per cent.
over the year 1915, 'or approximately
s1.22 ISr ton above all wage increases
granted the miners" 54f ia.rt ~
1T Is fair to assume" says Keeney,
from these figures that the operator
made an average profit of s1.45 on eacn
ton of coal mined" He continued "The
average wage of pick miners. who are
the skilled workrnen of the industry, for
the year 1916 was S111.09 per month.
This Is the highest wage the coal miners
Of West Virginia ever earned. During
this same period 'hatchet and saw car
enters working on the Government plant
at Nitro. right here in the heart Of the
coal fieidss averaged $19s month or
ls2.367 a year. On the same work ditch
fdiggers made IS a day. yet, the coal
miners stayed on the job and actually
produTl 100000 more tons in 1918
than they did in 1917. In the process
404 miners were killed outright and 795
in 1917, a death rate higher than that
Of the A e. F. With these cold facts
before them. who can question the 10y
atty and intense Americanisrn Of the
West Virginia miners? The coal miners
Of the country have not received one
cent of wage increases for two full
years. During this period all. other
workers have had from one to four sub
stantial increases"
Cites Higher Cost OF Living.
Keeney cites the rise in ,the cost OF
onions, prunes, potatoes. butter. sugar,
ham, bacon and other food staples. say
ing that absolute necessities of life ad-
vanced 100. per cent since July. 1914,
while the wages of the most skilled
miners rose only GO per cent. He gives
figures from the National Industrial
Conference Board as to rent. clothing.
fuel, heat and light, etc, indicating the
increase of living cost has averaged rs
per cent.
IN. other words" Keeney tells the
President, "a miner who made $75 a
month in July, 1914, must average $131
now to be as well Off as he was in July,
1914, yet the official figures show that
the miner only made an average wage Of
s111 per month during 1918.
Lne war VI 1910 tutTb WcTc
employed within the State in the coal
industry 92.132 persons. 51.46S OF whom
were Americans and 40.664 foreigners.
These are the men who dug the coal
during the war and are the men who
will dig the coal now, If any Is dug.
Loyal During War.
They were loyal during the war. they
are loyal now, but they must live. The
rigors of winter are more terrible to
them than any other class. They must
have heavy clothing to keep the body
warm, plenty of wholesome strength
giving food to keep 1t nourished so as
to be able to meet the hard physical toll
of the mines. AT the present wages re-
ceiYed, these necessities cannot be had.
Those who think differently, who envy
the miner his lot, and who rest under
the delusion that the miner is overpaid,
are welcome to the Job. Jet them come
on and go down into the bowels of the
earth where so many of US die each
year. We shall not offer any resist
ance"
AS to the item Of rent, II is only fair
to the operators to say the general testi-
mony Is that 1t has not been increased
in any mining town of West Virginia
The companies own the houser and
charge the occupants 81 a monEh In
some towns. IS in others, which has been
the charge for many years.
The mine owners OF the Kanawha dis
trfct, who met here to-day, unanimously
| reported that their employees, most q
whom are unionized, and all OF whoT
are on strike, did not want the six houl