i STEAM COAL - Clpdigital.org

eral public, both in your interest and in ours.
The operators presented a scale of wages here
that they would like to have you indorse for the
coming year, after a great deal of deliberation.
We
HAVE MET FREQUENTLY
upon this subject during the last two or three
months. Different representatives from different
sections of this Pennsylvania district, who
were engaged in the business of mining and shipping
coal, have met and discussed this question.
It was not the hasty action of a few moments'
conference, but it was the result of careful delib
eration and after we had sought information in
every direction to justify us for the position we
took.
"Now, I believe you gentlemen are here, like myself,
to help arrive at what is a proper conclusion
in this matter. Far be it from me to take from
the wage earners of the Pennsylvania district
one dollar that rightfully belongs to them. I
believe we should work together as employers of
labor and employes to get for our district the
very highest possible wage scale. But we are
hampered to some degree in our endeavors in
that direction by the wages that are paid in other
competing fields. We have not asked the people
of this district to come to the low wages that are
paid in the South. We do not approve of the
conditions that exist there and we believe we can
defend ourselves here at a better standard of
wage than they are paying there at least. As
has been argued by members of the scale committee
upon the other side, the business of this
region has developed from year to year in the
years gone by, and they will argue because of
that fact that we apparently could pay any old
wage and not be affected. Now, my friends, that
is not the fact. We have gathered data from all
these districts to show the character of wages
they are paying and what we have to contend
with. We have also the statement showing what
TONNAGE WAS LOST LAST YEAR
to this district, and we want you to know and
understand this as we do. We want you to
know and understand it that you may be able to
sell your labor for a proper price and that will
bring you all that you are entitled to. You can
fix a price for your labor in this district and
wouldn't have any market for it. You don't want
to do that. If you would fix the standard of
wages that would only give you about 175 days
work in the region, it would be very disastrous,
as you all must confess. If you could by shading
that standard of wages to a small degree enable
yourself to have 250 days work during the next
year in this region, it would be better to do that.
You want to sell all your time, not a small por­
THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 35
tion of it, during the year. You want to sell
your time for the very best possible price that
will bring you the most aggregate wages at the
end of the year.
"Now, we don't believe that this reduction that
the operators are asking for you to help us with
in the way of wages in this district will put one
dollar in the operators' pocket. It is my judgment,
and it is the judgment of those that have
given this matter consideration, that every dollar
will go to the trade. It is simply a question of
holding our tonnage against the competitors we
have to meet. Now, those are things to consider
and we want to consider them here calmly, fairly,
dispassionately, with a due regard to all our
interests. As I said yesterday, we are the employers
of capital and the employers of labor, and
we must use our best judgment in these matters.
We have some data here, that we gathered at considerable
expense, of these Southern districts, and
I wanted you men who are wage workers here
To KNOW AND UNDERSTAND
some of the wages that are paid in other sections.
If you will bear with me a few minutes I will
read some of them. We have here the statistics
of the Norfolk & Western railroad, from the Elk
Horn district. Blue Stone district and Pocahontas
field, comprising 35 mines, none of them producing
less than 500 tons per clay. I will take them
as they come. The first is from the Elk Horn
district, the capacity of the mine is 1,500 tons daily
average, thickness of the vein 5 feet, hours work
for day 10, the capacity of the car level full is 3
ton, the capacity of the car including topping is
3% tons, the rate paid for pick mining for the
loading of that car is 75 cents, with 3'{, tons of
coal upon it. The wages paid for machine cutters
there are $2.25, 10 hours a day. Wages for
drivers $1.65, and so on, the same standard for
most of the other wages paid.
"Take any of the others that come. There is
another—Elk Horn district, 650 tons daily capacity.
This vein is 6 feet thick. Hours worked 10. The
capacity of the car in this place 3 tons, and the
same price for pick minng, and other wages correspondingly.
We will go now to some other
district. These all are near about the same.
These wages average nearly the same all through
the Elk Horn district. Blue Stone field, the
mine has a capacity of 550 tons, 6 feet thick, capacity
of the car level full 2% tons, capacity of
the car including topping 3% tons, the approxiately
yield in tons in this car is apparently 3
tons. This is the average the car holds. The
price paid for pick mining in this mine varies
some little, the lowest price paid is 75 cents a
car and the highest is 90. But I understand
there are some