Year: 1870

AND sCUUYLKIIL OPPOSED TO THE Project


THE SCRANTON SrRIKE-THE BASIS


sCHUYLKUL WAGES-CHARACTER OF THE


MINERS-THE COAL MARKET.


PENN HAVEN JUNCTION, Dec. 19.-I find, on
inquiry among the miners and operators Of Schuylkl
and Iebicb that general suspension receives little
favor I'm the lower regions The leaders Of the Union
were at first inclined 10 favor the project but they arc
now hopeless OF carrying IL out The most that me
Grand Council do Is 10 submit the question to the
districts to be voted by all the miners and do not
hear that any votes have yet been taken in the lower
counties. The leaders are naturally desirous TO
strengthen the bond which unics all the sections OF the
coal re gon and first sight II would that nothing
could more eectually accomplish this than for all tho
miners who are at work to join the men who are not
at work I'm general suspension II u doubtful, now
ever IL this course would have the desired effect. In
the first place, the Schulk miners are too much eX-
hausted by the strike they have already INDUCED in this
year. They out from the lst ~ April 10 the lst OF
August and many Of them st In debt for the means
II subsistence during that Interval. The Leigh NaVl-
cation Company's miners at Summit Hill arc still worse
off having been out from he2th Of February to the 10Th
OF August. These men feel very bitterly toward the
Luzenc County miners and even II they had the beat
disposition to assist tem could hardly be expected in
their present situation, to attempt to subsst without
work for several weeks in Midwinter


great many sehuylhill miners usually thrown
ont OF work during the Winter months but the suspen-
In the upper region has already lcKcncu the uc
mand for coal to such extent that many coleries
which had already stopped have gone into operation
again and there is now moro doing than usual at this
season Of the year or course miners who can IND no
employment may be counted TO vote for general sus-
pension bu the majority at present disposed to reg


ate their income by the principle that half loaf is bet
ter than bread.


There is great difference Of opinion as to how long the
Scranton miners, who out will continue their
resistance 70 the reduction OF wages against which thoy
have reb eled Those whose judgment ought to be the
best think that work viii not be resumed until Spring
The companies evidently IN no humor for compro-
misc and any quality for which miners deserve
the admiration Of phrenoogsts it IA obstinacy The
Welsh miners Of whom large number are empl0yedby


rke f and the to get back again aer they
once gone out The suspension Was nor voter nhu IN ,e
that the miners have not acted without deberaon:
The speedest method Of adjusting the difficulty would


The basis system has been found TO work wcll in
the operators are much satisfied with than
formerly the The last schuyll strike was finally
the Beading Railroad The basis price coal taken
at Is per tun Carbon, coal depot near Potts
s2 for inside aborers and s for outside aborers For
every 25 cents advance in the price Of coal above ~
every cents decline they were 70 be diminished in the
same ra9 For the month M IN SN S cSa ws
reduced 2i per cent, which gave the miners employed
on days work 60 81 per Tesk ne & naG ~ hc &0Gr
ever are employed on contract work." by which they
% pah The Wages SUBJECT to the same reduction as
the Others and would therefore range from " 70 70 -
TO work on these terms until the OF January am
informed that the operatOrfor the Schuy Kill operators
have Union OF the same kind a. that OF the miners
and miners have nearly concluded an arrangement for
1871 Which is substantially the same as tho one above
described except that wages are to rise and fall at the
rate OF per cent for every change OF three cents IN


The miners dream OF regulating the price of coal by
the general suspensions Of production may be consd
cred At an end In the course Of their long struggles
with their employers they have learned to look at tho
wages question from more than one point OF view All


or resSha S in their demands than formerly The
miners as class have been generally represented as
feroeous and iutractable i'll the extreme find them
as frugal temperate. and wcl-mannered any other
workngmen The Welsh and dcrnlans are generally
the virtues OF the wees which distinguish En-
lishmen aud Irshmen than may be observed elsewhere
the houses In which hes live. They have large deposits
in the savings banks aud some Of them consider
United States bonds aud other securities. Several
OF the wcalthest and otherwise most prominent men In
the coal regions have risen from the depths 0f the mines
Among oil the men with whom l conversed did not
hear word .aid against the miners I those sections
symptoms Of dsordcrly or rotous spirit Considerable
sflfs in scranton In certain New York Journals; and
Is not probable that tho sensational would
they again visit HydS Park as that part of the city is
called in which the miners reside. must say that
cunstances alluded to
their accounts almost entirely out OF whole CLOTH The
miners described surgng under tho windows OF
the d., L. q W. Co's Office and swilng benzine." A
score more Of communications 70 The Stdnton RePu6
lean gave expression to their indignation at this be
The miners are good patrons OF the newspapers, and
everything relating To them their business Is read
attentively and passed round. Their own organ, The
Anhraet Monitor. compares fayoraby with other Penn
syvana newspapers and contains larger proportion Of
original matter than the vast majority OF weekly Journals


In conclusion few words may be said TO the effect OF
the present suspension the price OF coal There
mines WORKING sufficient to supply all that the
board can possibly require for an indefinite period TO
come. The demand ls never very great during the
Winter months and two-thirds OF the mines still
working In condition TO start should the market be-
active The recent cold weather has probably had
almost much to do with the late advance in prices
the miners strike According TO present appearances
the commodity IL quite likely TO fall within the next
80 days 10 hold It's own especially when tho ayprehen
si0ns VI general suspension are dissi ipated.