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DEMANDS OF ANTHRACITE MINE WORKERS.
The anthracite mine workers of the three districts,
Nos. 1, 7 and 9, concluded their tri-district
convention at Pottsville, on November 3, and
adopted a schedule of demands to be presented to
the operators when the meeting to formulate a
wage scale is held after April 1. The demands
were:
1. We demand that the next contract be for a
period of one year, commencing April 1, 1912, and
ending March 31, 1913.
2. We demand a work day of not more than
eight hours for all inside and outside day labor
with no reduction in wages.
3. We demand the recognition of the United
Mine Workers of district Nos. 1, 7 and 9 as a
party to negotiate a wage contract, and the right
to provide a method for the collection of revenues
for the organization.
4. We demand a more convenient and uniform
system of adjusting local grievances within a reasonable
time limit.
5. We demand an advance of 20 per cent, on
the rate of wages for all employes over and above
the rates awarded in 1903.
0. We demand a minimum rate of $3.50 per
day for miners and $2.75 for laborers.
7. We demand that the system whereby a contract
miner has more than one working place or
employs more than two laborers shall be abolished.
S. We demand that tbe rights of the cheekweighmen
and check docking bosses shall be recognized,
and that they shall not be interefered with
in the proper performance of their work.
9. We demand that all coal shall be mined and
paid for by the ton of 2,240 pounds wherever practical.
10. Your committee would recommend that a
joint scale committee composed of the executive
boards of the three anthracite districts, together
with the national president, be appointed by this
convention and clothed with discretionary power
to negotiate an agreement on the basis agreed to
by the convention and in the event of their feeling
unable to do so they shall be empowered to order a
suspension of work in accordance with the laws
of the organization.
It is reported that the Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
& Lake Erie. Baltimore & Ohio, Erie, Bessemer &
Lake Erie and the Wheeling & Lake Erie railroads
will file joint notice with the Interstate Commerce
Commission shortly, on a voluntary reduction of
from 75 to $1 a ton, equivalent to from 20 to 25
per cent, in the transportation charge on coal, coke
and iron ore to and from the lakes.
THE COAL TRADE BUL.LETIN. 25
EIGHT PER CENT. BONUS
FOR HARD COAL MINERS.
The "sliding scale," established b.v the commissioners
whom President Roosevelt appointed to settle
the strike of 1902, brought the anthracite mine
workers a bonus of S per cent, last month. United
States Commissioner of Labor Charles S. Neill
has just sent out a notice directing the payment of
the bonus. It applies to all classes of employes.
and is added to their November pay.
The Strike Commission granted a 10 per cent.
increase in pay to the mine workers, but decreed
that to be a minimum. Then it decreed that, for
every rise of 5 cents above $4.50 in tlie average
price of the domestic sizes of coal at tidewater, in
any month, the workers should receive an additional
1 per cent., to be applied to the payroll ol
the following month. Certified records of sales
are sent to the Commissioner of Labor, who computes
the average and then sends out the official
notice of the bonus. As the average price was
$4.91 in October, the advance to tbe miners is 8
per cent.
As the increased minimum pay granted by the
commission is used as the basis upon which to
calculate this 8 per cent., the total increase to the
mine workers over the 1902 wages is more than IS
per cent. The total benefits to the mine workers
from the sliding scale, since it went into effect on
April 1. 1903, have amounted to about $28,500,000.
In his latest bulletin on anthracite iiroduction,
Edward W. Parker of the United States Geological
Survey, who was a member of the Strike Commission,
calls attention to the increased earnings of
the mine workers. "From 1906 to 1910," says Mr.
Parker, "the average number of working days
ranged from 195 to 229, with a mean average of
210. This means that, in addition to the increase
in wages following the strike of 1902, and the further
benefits secured to the miners through the
sliding scale created at the same time, the miners,
by reason of an increase of 27 per cent, in their
working time, are able further to supplement their
earnings by that percentage."
EARNINGS SHOW A DECREASE.
Gross earnings from operation of the Colorado
Fuel & Iron Co. for the year ending June 30, 1911,
were $22,934,685, a decrease of $705,127 compared
with the previous year, according to the annual report
made public at Denver, Col.
Operating expenses were $19,456,335, a decrease
of $440,861, leaving net earnings from operating
$3,478,349, a decrease of $264,265. Income from
sources other than operation amounted to $671,599,
bringing the net income to $4,349,948, a decrease
of $219,586, compared with the previous year.
After providing for all fixed charges, sinking
funds, etc., a surplus of $1,259,672 was left.