Evening star., 1923-09-08
The Coal Settlement.

Gov. Pinchot's efforts to bring to-
gether the disputing sides in the an
'thracite production combination of
operators and miners have been
crowned with success within a week
from the beginning of the strike. AL
though the strike is not yet called of,
and it may be ten days before mining
is resumed. there is definite prospect
that a complete agreement will be ef-
fected at once upon all the details of
the years contract, and the district
units of the anthracite field will send
their delegates to convention which
will accept the compromise. Thus it is
likely that within three weeks from
the time the picks We're laid down in
the mines the production Of coal will
have been resumed.
The first thought of the public re-
lates to the cost of this settlement in
terms of coal prices. The total addi-
ton to the wages, it is figured, will be
about s32,000,000 a year. This, it is
estimated, will mean an increase of
about 75 cents a ton to the consumer.
The operators have stated that if the
original demands of the miners had
been granted the cost would have been
$300,000,000, involving. naturally, a
very much heavier addition to the re.
tail cost.
1t is inevitable that any addition to
the mining cost, through increased
Sb no raHeotad in, ho ,,,or
ket price. But Gov. Pinchot has stated
that he will endeavor to prevent any
undue multiplication of this added
mining cost in the course of the
spread" from mine to furnace. Just
how he will accomplish this remains
won a double victory, for which he
will be heartily thanked by the people
of the hard-coal-using region.
Now that the agreement has been
reached the thought Immediately oc-
ours that it might just as we'll have
been accomplished in time to prevent
i any suspension Of mining. Obstinacy
on each side, the endeavor of both par
ties to gain a position of advanta &c,
the carrying of the bluff too far-the
usual tale of labor negotiations with
the public as the chief sufferer. Just
what has been gained by either side
by the delay and the consequent in
terruption of work is not known.
If the men remain idle for twenty
working days in all they will have
lost, save for strike benefits, ma
terial part of the increase they gain
from the settlement. For example, at
the rate of So a day present pay. with
315 working days in the year, the
years wage at that rate would be
81 ,575. A 10 per cent increase means
$157.50. Idleness for twenty days at
the old rate costs S100, or at the new
costs each S. worker within $3.50 Of
what he gets out of the settlement,
computing his lost time on the old
Tate, and within s47.50 of what he gets
on the new rate. If the net gain, over
and above the cost of idleness for
twenty days, is divided by the remain
ing working days of the contract year
1T will be found that the final result of
the strike is but a small one. 1t
would have been greatly to the advan-
tage Of the miners if their representa-
tives at the conference had permitted
them to remain at work pending set
tlement, with an agreement to apply
the new rate retroactively from the be-
ginning of the contract year, when
ever it might be settled.
: This is but one more illustration of
the bad economy of the strike method
of settling labor questions.