i STEAM COAL - Clpdigital.org

28 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
Brakemen or spraggers on motors, tracklayers,
cagers, drivers, trip riders, timbermen,
pipemen and water bailers 2.42
Trappers 1.12
All other inside day labor 2.42
Fourth. Outside clay labor for eight hours'
work:
Blacksmiths by the day $2.56
i arpenters 2.56
Engineers 2.56
Firemen 2.25
Where firemen handle the engine to be classed
as engineers, and receive engineers' pay.
Dumpers and trimmers 2.13
Ash wheelers 2.00
Fifth. Coke oven men:
Drawing coke per net ton 23
Laborers on coke ovens, per day of 10 hrs. . . 1.75
Car loaders at ovens, per day 1.80
Sixth. Drivers: That where drivers have long
distances to travel from barn to place of work,
allowances be made by the company for traveling
one way, and that team drivers be paid 10 cents
for each additional mule; over one-half mile to be
considered long distance.
Seventh. That the two and three per cent.
CHECK-OFF BE DEDUCTED
from the gross earnings of each and every man
in and around the mines, and that a list be furnished
the secretary of the sub-district and mine
committee with the amount opposite the name
and number of those on the list every two weeks.
Eighth. That there shall be an equalization of
the turn both on pick and machine mined coal
so as to place the earnings of the miners of each
mine on a better equality where pick and machine
miners are employed.
Ninth. Blacksmithing charges: For machines
one-fourth cent per ton: pick mining, one-half
cent per ton.
Tenth. That we demand the abolition of car
pushirg in all mines by the miners to and from
the face of the workings.
Eleventh. Dead work: That we request that
the operators in each sub-district will meet with
the officers of their respective sub-districts to arrange
a scale of prices to govern dead work, including
yardage in narrow and heading work.
GEO. SINCLAIR, chairman. WM. CTJRRIE, secretary.
Following the presentation of the miners' scale
Mr. Kerr outlined the position of the operators.
He said in part:
"Mr. Chairman: I speak for myself, but I believe
I express the sentiments of all of those who
are engaged in the production of coal who are represented
here and those who do not happen to be
here, that the demand made by the miners at this
joint conference is an extraordinary one, made in
this way at this time, in view of the conditions,
in view of the fact that those who are in competition
with us in the production of coal are on a
much lower wage scale basis than that we are
now paying. We had idleness in this region last
summer and this winter, considerable of it, due to
the fact that we could not meet the conditions
and prices that were in the markets we had to
compete in by these people who produce coal South
of and
IN DIRECT COMPETITION
with us. The wage scale is much lower there
than we are now paying, and to come in at this
time and insist on an increase of that wage scale
seems to me an extraordinary thing to do. It
either implies you are not considerate of the conditions
that prevail or you are not informed as
to our actual position. And just in that connection
I wish to say that while your chairman has
stated that these meetings are of much consequence
and have done considerable good in the
past, we see many new faces among you, and it
seems as if our conferences were in the nature of
a kindergarten. We have to travel over this road
year after year. He has well said that men who
come here seriously minded in this matter, their
statements must be taken with some consideration
as being truthful. 1 don't believe there is any one
here who speaks earnestly on this subject but wdio
means to tell the truth, but sometimes their environments
are such and their experiences are
so that they do not understand the question fully.
We who are in the management of the production
of coal in this district do have an opportunity to
have a wider view. Then, if we are truthful to
begin with, our words on this subject ought to
have some weight with those who want to do what
is right—not only what is right, but what is best
for themselves and all of us who are engaged in
this business. We could put these wages to a
point, you must all confess, where we would not
have any labor to do. Now, there is something
to consider. You are here to sell your wage or
labor for the coming year. The question is at
what price can we afford to engage to pay for it?
That is the problem that is here now. Some have
stated that this is a contest between labor and
capital. That is a mistaken opinion. We who
are engaged in the production of bituminous coal
are employers of capital and labor too. If capital
demands too much from us it embarrasses us in
our work. If labor demands what is unfair to
them they embarrass us in our work. We are
IN A PECULIAR SITUATION.
and we would have you, my friends, understand
it fully before we decide finally on this subject.
1 heard a story the other day that somewhat illus-