South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-02-26
CUT COAL PRICES
BY WAGES, POLICY
OF Big OPERATORS
Owners Favor Pay Reduction
on Lowered Living Basis
as Needed Move.

as Needed Move.
WILKES BARRE. Pa. Feb. U.s.
With the possibility OF strike. az
fecting both the hard and soft coal
fields by April 1. william J. Bren-
nan. president Of District 10. 1,
United Mine Workers OF America
made the following statement today
relative 20 the situation in the an
thracite zone
Among tho men there Is a feel
ing that ~ strike does not cone q
Suspension viii take place. The 15O.-
600 men in the three anthracite dis
tricts are seriously and carefully
watching the situation. but they do
not openly talk strike and do not
advocate g. except as last resort.
April viii come 20 us with remenl-
brance Of the dark days Of 1902. The
field g. thoroughly unionized. the
finances are in good shape. but with
NE bituminous situation as Il IS our
condition IS very much different than
r. was On 1902 We have no knOwl-
edge OF large amounts OF coal being
in storage and do not believe there
are"
A. s. Learoyd, spokesman for the
general committee Of operators. has
made the following statement.
''The position Of the anthracite
operators IS that the price Of coal at
the mines is too high. Lower mine
prices can be affected only by a re-
duction in the producing cost. The
only item OF the cost OF production
which has not been reduced is la
Dor. which constitutes more than 10
per cent OF the total. In other words
the average total mine cost OF
gross ton Of anthracite is $5.55. OF
this S3.92 is for labor These figures
are for the first half of 1921
Would Mean Increase"
eff the demands of the anthracite
mine workers for an increase of 20
per cent I'm the contract wage rate
and 81 a day increase for all men
employed by the day were 10 be
granted il would mean au increase
OF 1874 cents a ton iu the labor cost
OF the total production of anthracite.
However 30 per cent OF the total
i production consists of the socallcd
steam sizes. which have 90 bc sold
i Ear below cost iu competition with
bituminous coal. and 10 per cent is
pea coal which moves very slowly
and at low prices. il follows. there
fore. that the remaining 60 per cent
OF production. comprising the do
Tnestic sizes would have TO absorb
the entire increase I'm wages This,
on the domestic sizes figures out
ecOut $3.50 ton, which the con-
sumer would have 90 pay.
In addition, there would be fur
Their increases i'm the labor cost II
other demands were granted.
Resolution TO Suspend"
"The demands OF the anthracite
mine workers are accompanied by a
resolution 10 suspend production of
coal unless an agreement on wages
Is reached by April j."
The 15O. 900 men employed I'm the
anthracite fields produced i'm 1927
7s.917.OOO gross tons. slightly more
than was produced i'm 1920. The
labor cost of producing this amount
Of coal was S252179.000.
Were the demands of. the miners
met the anthracite operators con-
+ tend that the cost 10 the consumer
xvorld he increased $40 per TON
This is based on the plan Of passing
en- the Increased cost of labor TO
the public. Roughly ft means am fn-
crease of sac 600 600 I'M fbe labor
bin and The op.r9tors claim This
would have 10 he c3rried ON the
larger sizes of coaI-those mainly
nut 10 domestic use
The anthracite miner claims that
fbere has nor beeD any decreasa i,
the ~osr of livfrp char warrants q
Ont iu wares S+ato statistics sbou-
the rena-a1 AVERAGE off mine work
/ 49, nov 81 ..r,r4+ er -a0 ,-oe7-1,- nm