The New York herald., 1922-02-12
SOFT COAL MINERS
LEAD In EARNINGS
Strike Threat Ignores Com
manding. Place Among L. s.
Wage Farmers.
MAKING S12O A MONTH
Workers in Iron and Steel In
dustries Get 800, Others
Down to $50.
Special Dispatch to THE NEW York HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., Feb. IL.

Special Dispatch TO THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., Feb. IL.
Bituminous coal miners, threatening
a general strike April + unless en-
ployers meet their demands for 20 per
cent. wage increase. are enjoying higher
average earnings than any other group
OF workers upon whom industry is so
directly dependent
Earnings of miners average $l2O a
month, according to reports to the
Department OF Labor.
Workers in the iron and steel indus
tries average $50 month.
A reduction of Al per cent. has been
imposed upon the average earnings Of
steel workers in the past twelve months.
the official reports show. A year ago
steel workers averaged sl54 a month.
Cuts in the rate of pay and part time
work has reduced earnings OF all work
ers in the industry.
Workers in textile mills, automobile
factories, clothing mills. shoe shops,
cigar factories. and paper mills, are
earning on the average less than steel
workers. Their monthly pay envelopes
contain sums ranging from 800 down to
$50
In the bituyninous mines reductions in
the rates of pay have been few except
in the non-union territories. AT rate re-
duction OF 81 per cent. was announced
to-day at Pittsburgh by one mine op-
Grating company. Union miners, how
ever, are refusing to work for less than
the organization scales established two
years ago during the period when prices
and wages were at the peak of war
time initiation. Coal prices have fallen
off sharply during 1921. Many mines
closed because their managers said
they were unable to operate when
obliged to pay the union scales. Many
thousands of miners were thrown out
of employment and still are idle.
The union scale thus is being reduced
in effect, Government officials say, by
economic circumstances, although the
mine union chiefs refuse to recognize
II. Miners who are at work are re-
ceiving the union scale. But taking the
Industry as a whole mine wage scales
have been reduced by the law of supply
and demand, 1t is contended. This
shows in q reduction in the average
earning power of those miners having
work.
A year ago, the average monthly earn
ing power of miners was s1S2, accord
ing TO the Labor Department reports.
In twelve months the average has
dropped "a pei. cent, although the wage
scale has been lowered in fact only In
non-union mines. The effect, however,
Is to fix a wage for miners which is
radically lower than a year ago and
beyond which they cannot be employed
The reports of the Labor Department
are compiled monthly from the actual
payroll figures of nearly 200 coal mining
companies and Industrial concerns
Each concern reports the number OF
men employed. together with tho total
amount paid out as wages. More than
10000 men are on the payrolls OF the
reporting operators.
The Lanor Departments survey thus
can be taken as a cross section of all
industry indicative of Increases or
decreases In employment. rise and fall
OF wages and Hike economic data