The labor standard., 1922-02-15
UNION COAL MINERS
 AVERAGE EARNINGS
Ellis Searles of the United Coal Miners Journal Chal- lenges Statement of Secre- tary of Commerce Hoover

WASHlNGION-F purport- ing to show the average earnings of union coal miners in the bituminous fields of the country in the year 1921 which were contained in a statement given out by Secretary of Commerce Hoover few days ago are chal- lenged in letter which Ellis Searles. editor of the United Mine Workers Journal has sent to Secretary Hoover. MT. Searles says in his letter that the average earnings of the miners were much less than the amount stated by Secretary Hoover. The letter was as follows:
 Washington, D. C.,
 February ', 1922. Hon. Herbert c. Hoover,
 Secretary of Commerce, E
 Washington, D. c.
 Dear Sir:
 In an article under your name pub- llshed few days ago and reproduced and given wide circulation throughout the country by many newspapers there appears the following:
 The non-union operators have been enabled to give their miners
 more steady employment, while
 the union miners have worked on
 the average only 182 days of the year, which at $7.50 average wage
 per day would give them only
 $1,365 a year.
 But this is not the worst of it.
 This average of 1892 days employ
 ment has not been evenly distrib-
 uted. Many union miners have
 worked far less than 182 days, so
 that many of them have had
 bare living-other less than an
 existence.
 I do not know the source of your in- formation upon which you predicated the above statement that the union miners worked an average of 182 days per year and earned an average of $1 1865 year. There is, however, such a wide discrepancy between those figures and the information that I have gathered from reliable sources that l cannot refrain from bringing the matter to your attention. In a paragraph preceding the part above quoted you refer to "the past year," and I take it, therefore, that the fig ures which you named were meant to apply to the year 1921.
 In order that I might obtain infor- nation and figures that might be re- garded as thoroughly reliable and as nearly accurate as possible, sent telegrams recently to the District Off, ficials of the United Mine Workers of America in those coal producing Dis tricts that produce the major portion of the union bituminous coal in which I asked the following questions: What was the approximate average number of days worked by mine work CTS in your District in the year 1921?
 What were the approximate aver age earnings for the year?
 What is the contract pick mining rate in your District?
 --Itt -ssfes-ItAink;-to assume that these District Officials, because of their intimate official knowledge of the affairs of their various Districts, are in position to supply information on those points that may be accepted as being Approximately correct. Thus far, I have received answers from several of the District Officials to whom the inquiry was addressed, and in no single instance does any one of them report that the miners worked as many as 182 days in the year 1921 or that they earned as much as $1,365 during that year. l shall not weight down this communication with the full text of their answers, but permit me to say that the answers thus far at hand make the following showing:
 Pittsburg District-Average num- Der of days worked in the Pittsburg District for. the year 1921 was 123, or 40 per cent. of full time. Average daily earnings, based upon the defense fund collected, by the District Organi- zation was $6.2O per day. Average earnings for the year 1921 were approximately $763 per man.
 Ohio-Average number of days worked in the year 1921 was 118. Average earnings for the year 1921 were $550 per man.
 Indiana District = President John Hessler said in his answer: "No defi- mite information is yet at hand. The mine inspectors report has not yet been published. Unofficial report shows the average number of days worked in the fiscal year ending Sep tember 30, 1921, as 148 days, which includes the last three months of 1920 which was exceptionally good. The same three months of 1921 was very poor work period"
 Illinois-Figures for the year 1921 are not yet available. The last report published was for the year ending June 30, 1920. This report showed that all of the mines of that state 1, operated on an average of 159 days. i
 Western Kentucky+The mines op- erated and the miners worked approx imately 130 days in the year 1921. The average gross earnings per man | for the year were about $80 month. | Out of this gross earnings the miner | must pay for his powder, supplies, o1acksmithing, tools, etc., which re- luces his net income to much lower figure.
 West ginia-Approximate num- per of days worked by miners in the | New River district in 1921 was about | 30. Average earnings were about $500 per man for the year. Hundreds of miners got only from IA to 26 days work during the entire year of 1921.
 Tennessee Approximately one