The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1920-01-02
OWNERS ] Y! VIOLATED:
.:::C0AE.ACREEMEN'Tl
Coal Price Increased Three
Times as Much as Wages
.-..:. H.. of the Miners, -. vi: ::

Proof that the coal operators we,
profiteering d. never before, in. IT
history Of this country; that the: pri<
of the coal at the mine had increase
| three times as much as the raise i
wages to the coal miners. and that III
coal strike was caused b~ the operi
tors breaking an agreement to rails
wages In proportion to the price the
got for coal, IS furnished by Edg,,
Wallace, spokesman for the miners j
the east.
I'm the 1916 contract" said Nj
+ Wallace, 1.-THE miners were given 6
cents for pick mining, 5. cents fn
machine mining and SOS per day fl
day labor. The average selling pric
Of coal was $1.225 per ton.
Slight Raise in 1912
"Hy natural agreement Il raise WI
had in August, 1917. On Oct. 6. 1911
thc So-callrd Washington n=ree.ncn
was effected. Including the vo'rntar!
increase of August this agreement
brought the G4-ccnt rate up to 81 cents
the '2-rrnt rate up to - cents and til,
S2!S rate up to 81.
"fhe pick men represent y; per cen
OF all men engaged in mine work
Their wage increase WAS ~ per cen,
Machine men comprise 40 per cent OF
the total force and their wage increase
was IS per cent. Day labor constitutes
>! per cent Of the total number of men
and their wage raise was G> per cent
Furty-fnur per cent WAS the average
increase
"Thr same agreement fixed the aver.
age selling price of coal ut $..4:1 at
the mines. an increase of Hln"<t 1W
per cent. In February. 1919, the fue!
administration lifted the price rrStric.
tons and since then the price has gunt
to S3 per ton. making the increase in
price for the operators in the neigh.
h"rh"od Of I'D per cent over the 13lt
price. They have absorbed he differ.
ence between the II per cent enhanced
labor cost and the 40 per cent en-.
HANGED selling price OF coal.
Yearly Earnings Low
1.-THE only official figures for 1919
are those complied by the Iowa stare
officials" Mr.. Wallace continued
'TheSe figures show that from Sep,
3D. 1918, t" Sept 80. 1910, the average
of the Iowa miners were $50
Der year. The period on which this
calculation is made contains one month
md eleven days Of war production, in
which the rate of production ram high.
~ than it now runs.
''Top wages for miners durin. the
'rak production year Of war time were
i 300 per year. This is the average
'agr Of the Illinois miners during the
iE'c when production was stimulated
y war Demands. Ii is true that some
zen earned much. more than this aver
go. but that only emphasizes The fact
Kat some e;trned much less. Ia Inw;
IL average yearly earniny during the
ar-time peak was $3.50. ]
Operators Cause Strike
In past negotiations the operators
ave always insisted that the price of
ton of coal on the general market
ust be the basis on which to nego- !!
ate wages. To this we have. ALWAYS
greed, and whenever the operators !
I'VE been able to prove that IL pro-
'Sed wage raise would not enable q
ON to operate and reap fair profit a
p have considered that as conclusive {
III withdrawn the demands. On that t
sis the miners are willing tb nego- q
tie today without reservations. They L
willing to withdraw all their de-
lndS and negotiate on the basis of
fSent conditions in the coal mines, e
tn as to prices and hours. " "
1.-The miners cannot overlook the u
It OF living, because it is pressing b
on them every day. Even on the O
sis Of the lowest figure yet made le
cover the increase in Twin. costs. c.
'rh is 'G per cent. and which we n
not accept as accurate. it will he a a
III that the miners are working nt D
reduction in wages, while TIL. Oh II
tors are r'1lping the benefit of y in
1T l:M per cent gain in The. income fc
III our output" m