The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-12-05

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3o.-Here
are facts that show clearly the case
for the organized coal miners. They
show that while the mine owners
have reaped profits by the thou
sands. the miners have gone on dig
ging coal for the nation under wage
conditions that were intolerable and
under a fluctuating schedule of
work that made mining about the
most uncertain industry in the
country.
The story-frankly the case for
the miners-was told by Edgar
Wallace, spokesman for the miners
in the East, and not restrained by
the Court order issued in Indianapo-
lis Mr.. Wallace recounts the min
ers story from background of long
years spent in the mines and in the
service of the miners.
in the 1916 contract" said Mr.
Wallace, "the miners were given Ga
cents for pick mining, So cents for
machine mining and SOS per day
for day labor. The average selling
price of coal at the mines was $1.25
per ton.
by mutual agreement a raise
was had in August, 1917. On Oct.
6, 1917, the so-called Washington
agreement was effected. Including
the voluntary increase of August,
Tho agreement brought the 64-cent
rate up to 81 cents, the 52-cent rate
up to 70 cents and the $2.9S rate
in to IS.
THE pick men represent 33 per
cent of all men engaged in mine
work. Their wage increase was %
per cent Machine men comprise
40 per cent of the total force and
their wage increase was 3S per cent.
Day labor constitutes 27 per cent of
the total number of men and their
wage raise was 6S per centH Forty
four per cent was the average in
crease.
The same agreement fixed the
average selling price of coal at
$245 at the mines, an increase of
almost 100 per cent. In February,
1919, the fuel administration lifted
the price restrictions and since then
the price has gone to SO per ton,
making the increase in price for the
operators in the neighborhood of
30 per cent over the 1916 price. |
They have absorbed the difference
between the "A per cent enhanced
labor cost and the 1870 per cent en-
HANGED selling price of coal.
Certain large operators in the
union fields, where the mines. now
are idle, also are large operators in
Tie non-union fields. These oper-
ators were largely responsible for
the strike, in the hope |
of reaping enormous profits in
their non-union properties during |
the strike"
Among the owners of this charac-
ter Mr. Wallace named the Peabody |
oal Company, the Colorado Fuel &
Iron Company and the United States |
Steel Corporation, the latter two
not heing members of the Operators
Association.
Mr.. Wallace produced figures to
the miners contention
that actual wages earned are at
point that denies the miners stan
dard of living acceptable to Amer
Ican workers.
The only official figures for
$40 arc those compiled by the Iowa
state officials" MIR Wallace con-
inued. These figures show that
rom Sept. 80, 1918, to Sept. 80,
I9l9, the average earnings of the
owa miners were $3.50 per year
The period on which this calcuia-
ion contains one month and eleven
lays of war production. in which
he rate of production ran higher
han 1t now runs.
TOP wages for miners during the
'eak production year of war time
we're $1,000 per year. This is the
lverage wage of the Illinois miners
turing the time when production
vas stimulated by war demands. II
true that some men earned much
more than this average, but that .
My emphasizes the fact that some
aFnod much less. In Iowa the av-
rage yearly earning during the
wartime peak was S1,2S0
But let me call particular atten- '
ION TO the fact that since the armis-
ice the average working time of {
he miners has fallen to below so I