The evening world. Newspaper, February 5, 1916, Page 9

“any iff i A pam peat THEE ATA fact GRREN RIDGE COAL COMPANY, By W. L. CONNELL, SORANTON COAL COMPANY, By J, B, DICKSON. THE EVENING WORLD, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 86, ‘isi IANA Anthracite Operators Explain Effect of Demands of Employes Miners’ Demand No. 1 We, demand tne next contract be for @ period of two years, commenctae Apri 1, 1014, and ending March 1, 1018, and that the making of ind\- vidual agreements and contracts in the mining of oa) shall be pronibied. The anthracite miners ask for a two-year agreement, beginning aad ending simultaneously with the agreements in the bituminous field—a business arrangement that is shown by actual experience in the bituminous field to threaten a bi-yearly disturbance of the peace and prosperity of the miners, operators, and general public. ‘The United States Government reports show that the time lost by strikes and suspensions, due to expiration of wage agreements in the bituminous coal field, between 1900 and 1912, in the years in which new agreements were negotiated, was $1,362,264 working days—a loss in earning capacity approaching the labor cost of digging another Panama Canal, The loss of time in those years in which Do wage agreements were negotiated was less than one-tenth (1-10) as great, In 1902, after a strike of six months’ duration, the President of the United States appointed a commission, consisting of Judge George Gray as chairman, with Carroll Do Wright, U.S, Commissioner of Labor; the Right Rev, John L. Spaulding, Brig Gen. John M. Wilson, Edgar E. Clark,then head of the Railway Conductors; ‘Thomas H. Watkins, a coal operator, and EdWard W. Parker, Statistician of the U.S. Geo- logical Survey, and instructed them as follows:— White House, Washington, October 23, 1002 To the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission Gentlemen: At the request both of the operators and the miners, I have appointed yon « Commission to inquire into, consider and pass upon the questions in controversy in connection with the strike in the anthracite region, and the causes out of which the controversy arose. By the action you recommend, which the parties in interest have in advance consented to abide by, you will endeavor to establish the relations and the wage earners in the anthracite fields on a just and permanent basis, and, as far as possible, to do away with any causes for the recur- rences of such difficulties as those which you have been called in to settle. I submit to you herewith the published statement of the operators, following which I named you es members of the Commission. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. between the employ ‘This Commission made a thorough investigation of labor conditions lasting four months, and its award, except as modified in the additional concessions given to the miners from time to time, is still in effect. It has produced prosperity and reasonable industrial peace throughout the anthracite region. The thracite operators believe that the industrial disturbances incident to bi. tracts are an unnecessary evil, expensive to miners, operators an alike, and that reasonable adjustments can be made from time to time without the necessity of periodical disturbances, if the automatic method of the sliding scale, a profit-sharing plan established by the Commission and abolished at the demand of the miners in 1912, is restored. ‘The sliding scale guaranteed the miners a minimum wage, but granted them an incrense of I per cent. in their wage for each increase of 6 cents a ton in the price of domestic coal at New York, which was the basing point. Present Agreement Protects Individual Under the present agreement it is provided that all new work shall be paid for atarate ‘sot Toes thas ihe rate paid for old work of # similar kind and character. Uniler this provision the operator 1aa;: contract with his employes for the prose- cation at duch work as ie not specifically provided for in the rates already established. cution Ch vcfor a rate which will give to his employes not less than the standard BArIDE oer l for old work for which rates have already been established. In case of dispute the agreement provides that the fairness of the rate {s subject to the review of the Board of Conciliation, The operators hold that it is their unquestioned right to make any change in the fettod of mining, or the conduct of their mining operations, which will secure additional safety to their employes oF greater Cs ratte in Sets Leeda) ol pro duction, provided that said change does not result in any reduction of wages to their employes below those rates established by the award of the Anthra- cite Coal Strike Commission and the agreements subsequent thereto. Miners’ Demand No. 2 £20 per cent. on all wage es now being pad We demand an tm the anthracite coal fields. Household Coal—60c a Ton Increase The miners have made a demand for an increase in wages to the extent of twenty (20) per cent. The present cost for labor alone of anthracite is approximately $1.80 a ton, An advance of twenty (20) per cent. in wages would mean an increase of thirty-six ($6) cents in the cost of every ton of anthracite produced. ‘The annual production of anthracite amounts to about 80,000,000 long tons, of which sixty (60) per cent. is for domestic use, The steam sizes, comprising forty (40) per cent. of the total (in the nature by-product), are sold for the best price obtainable in competition with bituminous coal. The cost of producit all sizes is the same. The revenue received from the steam sizes is far below the cost of mining——and, therefore, the coal used by householders and other consumers of domestic sizes of anthracite must be sold at # price which will produce, when added to the receipts from steam coal, reasonable profit on the entire production ‘This demand is equivalent to approximately sixty (60) cents @ ton increase in the cost of the domestic sizes of anthracite. Miners’ Earnings—-Over 36 Per Cent. Increase ‘The miners justify this demand as follows: ‘‘Wages which were below normal nereased five and one-half per cent, in twelve (12) years and food forty (40) per vent, Surely this constitutes the basis for an even greater demand than was made, d The Anthracite Coal Strike Commission, after careful investigation, sf “As to the general contention that the rates for contract miners in the anthracite region are lower than those paid in the bituminous region for work substantially similar, or lower than are paid in other occupations requiring equal skill and training, the Commission finds that there has been # failure to produce testimony to sub- stantiate either of th ropositions.” The Commission found that the average annual earnings of the contract mine 1901 were $560.00; in the same year the average working time of anthracite collieries was 196 days of ten hours each; in 1002 the miners were given a ten (10) per cent. advance plus a sliding seale; in 1912 they were given another ten (10) per cent, advance, the sliding scale being abolished at the request of the miners, making a total net increase in 1012 as compared with 1901 of twenty-one (21) per cent. In 1914, a normal year of mining operations, the average working time of anthracite collieries was 245 days of nine hours each. The anthracite miner, therefore, has received an advance in his opportunity for earning due to the increased time worked by anthracite collieri of twelve and one- half (1244) per cent. over and above his wage increases, The anthracite miner who in 1901 earned $560.00 annually, if he now works with the same energy as he did at that time, would earn $762.30 annually, an increased earning capacity of thirty-six (36) per cent. In the case of 4 were awarded by the ¢ they had previously r efited to the extent of t labor in and around the anthracite mines, such employes mmission, in 1902, the same rate for nine hours’ work that ved for ten nours. Between 1902 and 1912 they were ben increased working time and the sliding scale. In 1912 they were given a flat increase of ten (10) per cent. on the rates of 190%, Under the circumstances this class of labor has, through increased opportunity for work and increased rates of pay, advanced its earning capacity thirty-seven and one half ($7}4) per cent. ON COMPANY, By W, Hl. WILL- ee KINGSTON OOAL COMPANY, By F. FE, ZERBPY, (enere) Manager. LUpOR, Vala COAL COMPANY, By F. M. CHASE, Vice LEON AND WiERES-BARBE COAL COMPANY, By 0, F The miners clalm that food oosts forty (40) per cent. more than at the time the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission made its award. Were this the fact the reports of the United States Bureau of Labor show that the cost of food represents forty (40) per cent. of the workman's cost of living for himself and his family, This would indicate an increase of only sixtecn (16) per cent. in his total cost of living. ‘as compared with an increase of over thirty-six (36) per cent. in his earning capacity Since the 1912 agreement, which was accepted by both parties, it has been shown Lf evidence presented before the Board of Arbitration in the matter of the strike the employes of the Wilkes-Barre Railway Company in 1015, that from 191% to 1915 the cost of living had increased only three and one-tenth (8 1-10) per cent... including the cost of food, fuel, rent, clothing, taxes, insurance, social and religious organizations, tobacco and periodicals, etc. Rent, so far as the miner is concerned, has not materially changed. The increase in the opportunity for earnings as compared with the increase in the cost of living combine to make the incre: prosperity of the anthracite miner far in advance of other classes of labor. The greatly increased deposits since 1902 in the banking institutions of the anthracite region, as well as the increased ownership of homes by mine workers, bear out this statement. f Miners’ Demand No. 3 and an eight-hour day for all day labor employed tn and the present rates to be the baela upon which the ce shall Spply with time and balf time for overtius ye and holidays, Users of Domestic Sizes Would Bear the Burden The miners demand an eight-hour day as the maximum for al) labor in and out the mines. This demand is not made for the con- tract miner, who suits his own convenience as to his working time and rarely labors more than six or seven hours daily. The Anthracite Coa! Strike Commission awarded on eight-hour day, without loss of ony wage, to those classes of workmen such as firemen and certain engineers whose labor was sufficiently burdensone to warrant it. Other classes of labor work ine-hour day. To reduce the maximum number of hours which a breaker may work each day as demanded by the miners, will certainly reduce the capacity of the anthracite mines d will purely Increase the danger of coal shortaye at the time of year when ap increased production is required by the consumers of coal. ‘The employees in the anthracite mines have abundant o| unity for social recreation. If the higher cost of living is the reason for the demands of the anthracite employes, the workmen certainly should be willing to give the same thrift, time and energy as heretofore. There is nothing in this demand which will increase their annual compensation. On the other hand, the cost of main- taining, pumping out, ventilating and timbering the anthracite mines is a continuous expense, and any reduction in output of the mines must increase the cost of pro- ducing coat Miners’ Demand No. 4 : 4 ‘We demand fall and complete recogmition of the United Mine Workere et America of Districts Nos, 1, 7 and @, Anthracite, The Same Objections Still Obtain A complete recognition of the United Mine Workers of Amer- ica of Districts Nos. 1, 7 and 9 is demanded. Strike Commission declared that the constitution of the United Min Workers did not offer inviting inducements to enter into contractual relations with it, and the Commission declined to order the. recog- nition of the Union. ‘The operators asserted at that time, and they continue to assert, that they have no objection to their employes joining union or labor organizations. Coal Strike Commission there is no dis The operators believe that th: hts of organized labor are fully protected by the open-shop principle gstablished ¥ the Commission, which declined to approve a “‘closed-shop” arrangement, such as is now proposed, involving practically t :pulsory membership of all employer ‘nan organization. In the words of th n, “The contention that s majority of employes, by voluntarily forming a unic uire authority over others untenable” and as Abraham Lincoln said, “No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent,” Their further unwillingness to recognize and deal with the United Mine Work ers, as then and as at present constituted, was based on the fact that the majority of the inembers of the union were employed in the bituminous coal fields, that the or- ganization was officered chiefly bituminous coal men, and that to deal with them would be dealing with an organization controlled by men engaged in a rival industry The Commission based its award upon those contentions which were sustained by evidence and upon the fact that the local unions in the anthracite field were, to some extent, controlled by the votes of young boys lacking in experience, wanting in judg- ment, and, so far, irrespons The reforms in the constitution of the United Mine Workers, which were recommended t he Commission, have not been effected It fs unreasonable to subject the anthracite region to the polities of an organization absolutely controlled from the outside, ‘The full recognition of the union, as demanded by the miners, involves the “check off,’ which means the compulsory collection by the operators of such dues, assessments, fines, ete., as may be assessed against the miners by union officials, an un-American practice. Our investigations in the bituminous field fail to show any place where recog nition of the United Mine Workers of America has secured the common benefits the elimination of strikes, promotion of peace, and the speedy settlement of dis putes—which it is claimed will be accomplished if granted for the anthracite region Miners’ Demand No. 5 Wy demand © more etmpiitied, speedy and eatiefactory method of adsust tne grievances, A Misleading Statement The miners give as # reason for this demand that the present system, “Growing out of contract provisions between miners and operators is antiquated.” This explanation is not in strict accordance with the fact of settling differences has not grown out of contract provi operators. It was imposed upon the miners and operators in the anthracite region by the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission as a part of ward, which provided & Board of Conciliation, through the operation of which strikes and lock-outs should become unnecessary. This Board consists of six permanent members, three elected by the miners id three elected by the operators, aud an umpire appointed when the members ee by the President Judge of United States Court of Appeals of the Third jal Circuit. The umpires so appointed have been Hon. Carroll D. Wright, Hon. Chas, P. Neill, former U. 8. Commissioners of Labor, and Hon. George Gray, of Delaware. ‘The present method between miners and In the 1912 agreement the miners insisted upon a departure from the method of settling grievances established by the Commission, This change provided for grievance committees ut every colliery, which should consider with the company o rievances originated by the miners. Instead of promoting peace, however, he activities of these committees have increased the number of local strikes throughout the region, in violation of the letter and spirit of the agreement, by almost ten-fold The operators believe it better to abolish the grievance committees and return absolutely to the method established by the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission The Board of Conciliation established by it provides an open court and a simple and efficient method for the adjustment of difficulties that cannot be settled immediate!) 4 the miner with the local official of the company. The work of the Board of Con iliation has stood the test of thirteen (18) years; it is held up by economists and students of Lavor preblems, both here and abroad, as @ model, and it is believed that eny further departure from the rules laid down by the Commission will be « Oommittee Representing Anthracite Operators The Anthracite Coal — MADEIRA, HILL & COMPANY, By F.C. MADEERA, Fres- A. PARDEE & COMPANY, By FRANK PARDEE. PENNSYLVANIA COAL COMPANY, By W. A. MAY, Pree: jon decided step backward and an encouragement to labor troubles in the my roe field. Some cen taeard have been made over delays in securing action by the rd, but its decisions have a'ways dated back to the time when the grievance was first raised, and no man has suffered loss on account of the time required for its U adjudication. We are rot aware of any court of last resort in the country which has cleared its calendar more thoroughly or more promptly. It is impossible to decide these controversies at sight. rornest consideration is required to decide any controve been a fruitful source of complaint from time immemorial Ty never been able to devise a system of administering justice which does not involve time for investigation, when the passions aroused by the controversy have su! jaa given for calm deliberation; all of which are essential to secure righteous judgment. Miners’ Demand No. 6 4 We demand that ne coctract miner shall be permitted to have mere tas ene working piace. A Demand That Would Destroy Ambition This demand is apparently intended to limit the earning capacity of the more efficient miner, who, in reality, acts in the capacity of a general contractor. There can be no well-founded objection to the system, for the reason that the agreement of 1912 distinctly provides that “the rates paid by any contract miner to his employes shall not be less than the standard rate for that class of work.” This arrangement was satisfactory to the miners in 1912, Conditions have not changed, and we believe that any individual who desires to take contracts of this nature, and by his ability and energy is able to increase his earnings, should be en- couraged in his ambition and not fettered by rules and regulations to the contrary Miners’ Demand No. 7 We demand that the selling price of mining supplies to miners be tired en a more eguitable and uniform basis. Mining Supplies This demand refers to the price of mining supplies, mainly ex- plosives and oil. To safeguard the lives of the miners and protect the mines it is necessary to have explosives and oil standard in char acter. The operator is responsible for gecidents, and, therefore, must necessarily purchase and distribute proper supplies to the miners They are sold at little advance over their cost and expense of handling, and at the present time the cost of some of these supplies to the opera- tor is greater than the price at which he sells them to the miner. Miners’ Demand No. 8 We demand that wherever coal ts mined by the oar al! ehail be weighed and be paid foron m intno-tur usa bY the ton of 300 pounds, and shall be paid for dirt and ro A Great Expense Without Gain for Anyone The subject of this demand represents another case where the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission declined to interfere with estab- lished custom, In rendering. its decision the Commission said it as “not prepared to say that the change, to-payment by weight, based on 2,240-pound ton, when the price would necessarily be gd- justed to the number of pounds, would prove of sufficient benefit to the miner to compensate for the expense and trouble thereby imposed upon the operators, now paying by the car.” There hus been nv change in methods and the same argument applies with equal force today. | A car of fired capacity is certainly a standard of measure, just as the quart and peck are standards in trade. The price paid per car has been fixed on the basis of coal cleaned to within « fixed limit of impurities. For veins carrying « large amount of refuse material, either the price percar has been adjusted to meet the condition or the miner is paid « special consideration for eliminating dirt and rock. Under the circumstances itis not necessary to hoist such refus@ to the surface and go through the proce: oval in the course of manufacture in the breaker, Every well-m busines: throws out waste as soon as possible; to do otherwise jd be asking the public to peri premium for inefficient methods that were entirely unwarranted and un- justifiable, Miners’ Demand No. 9 f the machine mint wba obtain asa t ay ratga and A Matter for Adjustment lhe opgators believe the rates now paid are fair, but if any adjustment is necessary, there is no objection on their part to making such changes as will give the machine mining men the opportunity of earning wages that are equitable as compared with those of eaniva lent occupations. Miners’ Demand No. 10 6 arrangements of detatied wa uestions Doth as regards pric ntath Operature and mi We demant that ¢ nt of inte: 4 to the repr Justed on an sand the set conditions be re of each district to Miners’ Demand Will Abolish Arbitration The miners justify this demand on the following ground: **Miuers and operators constitute the contracting parties for the purpose of mining coal, It is absurd to refer differences arising from this con tractual relationship to parties other than their representatives.” Disputes between itizens over their contractual relations are settled by the courts, and the judges who are empowered by law to find and declare justice, are not the representatives of either party between employers and their employes who are directly affected should be settled by the interested parties, if possible. If they cann they believe that the differences should be adjusted py the fair and d by the Board of € tion as established hy the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission, by which the s that have come before it have been satisfactorily adjudicated Finally Every well-informed man who has made a study of condi- tions in the anthracite field will agree that the anthracite industry as a whole is now conducted on as low a margin of ible if the operators are to continue to serve the As any increase which may be granted must necessarily be eventually paid by the heads of families and other users of anthracite, the operators, while desiring to deal justly with their employes, deem it their plain duty to resist any unreason- able demands, THE PRILADE Ae PANY, By W, J, RICHAKDS, President, E COAL COMPANY, By 5. B. EST END COAL COMPANY, By ¢ cam AT Ak er ae CDART. EN COAT AND IRON COM- DODSON COAL COMPANY, By ALAN ©. DODSON. ‘dent EMANNA COAL COMPANY, By MORRIS OKAW y ENT m . HIGH CO: |AVIGATION COMPANY, By 5 : A 5 NY, WILLIAMS, AAT Fad 2, ReTREN CONRAN, 87 D. WAKKINER: Predldeat, r 6. B. MARKLE COMPANY, By JOHN MARKLE, President. siden. President. w 5 N. WHITNEY 4 KEMMERER, By J, L. KEMMERER. 5