AMERICA'S GREAT STRIKE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LI, Issue 9140, 12 July 1906, Page 6

AMERICA'S GREAT STRIKE.

THE TERMS OF SETTLEMENT.

"A MOST ADVANCED STEP."

Files by the R.M.S. Maheno contain particulars of the terms on which the strike of the anthracite coal miners of Pennsylvania was settled.

It began on April Ist and involved 150,000 men, who demanded a 5£ per cent, increase in wages. After six weeks of idleness and the stoppage of an output of coal which amounts under ordinary conditions to five million tons per week, the men consented to* return to worn, on the terms existing in the previous three years. Those were the terms awarded by the Coal Strikp Commission in 1903, when the men gained a 10 per cent, advance in wages, and an understanding that they should get a 1 per cent, further increase with every 10 per cent, rise in the price of coal.

After carrying on negotiations for nearly three months, the sub-committees representing the coal miners and the coal owners agreed on May 7th to continue the, award for another period of three years. On the following day there was a miners' convention at Scranton, Pennyslvania, to ratify the action of the sub-committees. The requisite proposition was carried.

When Mr John Mitchell, president of the United Mine Workers of America, on whoso shoulders had rested the responsibility for the> direction of the workmen in the struggle, entered the hall he was vociferously applauded, and being called upon for a speech, said : — "This will probably be the last time I shall address you, and it might be well* for me to say one or two things. Some aro inclined to believe that, because we have not secured an advance in wages or any improvement in the conditions of em • ployment, we have not accomplished anything. 1 want to say that I believe you have taken The most advanced step in the history of this movement. You have secured what you have never before secured — a signed agreement with the ope rators. It is an agreement which is not entered into with the United Mine Workers, nor with the officers of that organisation, but they have signed an agreement with your National President and with 1 your district officers. lam convinced that if the United Mine Workers maintain the strength and solidity of their organisation, three years hence the railroad president") will ask you to make an agreement with them, rather than that you should be forced to ask them to make an agreement with you. Last summer I made a tour through this region. I urged the mine workers to come back into the organisation. At that time there were only 34,000 members. At the close of that tour there were 80.000 member^ jn the organisation. Had that tout 1106 "been made there would have beenVTeUelioiHn wages, according to reliable infSrmation' that I have in my possession. My information is that the railioads were ready to increase the working day from nine to ten hours ; to require the engineers to work seven daysi in the week, and to require the firemen to work 12 hours instead of eight. If this is true, then we have won a victory.