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4 4 THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN.
SUMMARY OF THE WORK OF THE
ANTHRACITE CONCILIATION BOARD.
A sumary of the work of the conciliation board
appointed by the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission,
from the time of its inception up to January
12, 1905, is as follows:
Grievances submitted 125
By employers 6
By employes 119
Cases compromised 3
Cases withdrawn 42
Grievances sustained IS
Grievances partially sustained 3
Grievances not sustained 28
Mutually settled 9
The service of an umpire was required in but
14 cases, all otlier being settled by the board.
Several cases were dropped owing to the fact that
the grievances were presented by those not parties
to the award, and several other cases are still
pending.
The conciliation board was formed for the purpose
of taking up and considering, subject to an
amicable settlement, all differences existing between
employer and employe and how well the
conciliators succeeded in the work for which the
board was formed is shown by the fact that since
its formation in the latter part of March, 1903.
up to the present time fully 135 grievances have
been taken up from the various sections of the
anthracite coal fields and in the majority of cases
have been settled in a manner eminently satisfactory
to employer and employe, and during all this
time, covering a period of more than two years,
no dissatisfaction has arisen of sufficient moment
to cause a strike.
Exceptions may be taken to the above statement
owing to the fact that in 1903 the employes
of the Red Ash Coal Company declared a strike
which lasted for six months. This company, however,
was not a party to the commission and therefore
this grievance never came before the conciliation
board for corsideration for settlement and in
addition the strike was never authorized by the
national board of United Mine workers, the officers
of that organization repudiating the action of the
men, who thereupon waged the fight independently.
Of the 125 cases acted upon by the board from
the time of the first meeting up to and including
the meeting held on January 12 of the present
year but three were compromised, the others
being satisfactorily settled, the decisions being
clean cut and definite, the grievance being either
sustained or not sustained.
The jurisdiction of the board expires Apiil 1,
1906, and whether it will be continued after that
date depends largely upon what action is taken by
the miners between now and that date. The board
is composed of six members, three representing
the coal companies and three representing the
miners. When the employes of any colliery have
a grievance it is duly presented to the board by a
representative of the mine workers and when
reached, testimony is heard by the conciliation
board, which occupies practically the same position
in hearing cases as does a grand jury, and
after all testimony is in a decision is reached.
Probably never in the history of the world has
a board such as the above been formulated, and it
was created largely as an experiment, as at the
time of its organization but few had any faith in
its ability to accomplish the results which have
been reached. It is composed of practical mining
men. each competent to judge of the merits of the
questions in dispute, and has proven conclusively
that where a body of men is actuated by a spirit
of fairness great results have been accomplished.
In all cases where grievances have arisen the
trouble has been setled without the loss of a single
day by either the men or the employes, and both
sides have held closely to the terms of the agreement
by which the strike of 1902 was settled, t,
Between $6,000,000 and $7,000,000 have been paid
out by the coal companies in the anthracite region
each month since the conciliation board was
formed, and the Wyoming Valley, as well as the
entire anthracite region, has experienced a season
of prosperity such as was never before known in
the history of coal mining, all classes of business
sharing in the profits accruing from the sense of
security arising from the knowledge that this industry
would not be disrupted by a labor war.
Damage Suits From Virginia Disaster.
Suits aggregating $1,000,000 have been filed
against the Alabama Steel & Wire Co. as a result
of the explosion in the Virginia mine on February
20 last. The plaintiffs in the suits are administrators
of the estates of thirty-five of the 111 victims
of the explosion. Suits aggregating about
$1,000,000 had previously been brought against the
Alabama Steel & Wire Co. The bills are all similar
and all complain that the casualty was due to
negligence on the part of the operating conipany.
Samuel Hartley, mine superintendent, is charged
with wanton negligence, and is alleged to have
allowed gas to accumulate in the mines and to
have been aware of tnis fact, but to have still
allowed men to work in the slope. It is further
charged that the mine was provided with no suitable
means of escape, and that the fire boss, An­
derson Donaldson, was incompetent to perform his
duties. The added claim is made that the defendant
conipany failed to exercise care in the
conduct of the mines.
Frank Short has succeeded to the coal and grain
business of Short & Allison, at Wamego. Kas.