Strikes In The Prairie State

Spkingfield, July 4 - Advance sheets of the forthcominf? coal report for tha year Ij94 havu beon issued by the state bureau of lbur statistics. This section deals with the investigatious by the bureau of the great coal miners' strike of last year. The returns embrace statistics of 'h. 207 employés of coal companies workiug at 276 mines and operated or managed liy 209 corapanios or owners. Secretary Schilling's coinment upon the strike is in the following languaze: "The cause or causes involved anü leuding up fco this general suspension of work, among this olass of wage earners, was not, so fat as could be daflnitely ascorcauied, oí diverse reasons or motives; but was, with perhaps afo.v minor exceptions, an open, honorable, ïnanly, uudaunted, and earnest effort and appeal made by hard working and long sufforing men for an inorease of wuges. "The general public, viewiug this effort of the miners, disconnected from all uthers Uien before the people, never questioned the reasonableness of the claim for increased wages, and, as consumers of coal, stood ready to accept an advance and would have freely paid a higher prlce for coal if thereby the miuers' wageg might be increased. This may be said to be true of tho manufacturers of the country who understood the situation. They knew full well that their fuel was furnished at a remarkably low prico, and they would willingiy have paid a few cents more a ton rather than have closed their works and allowed their capital to reinain inactiva. On the other hand, so far as was ascertained, there seemod to be almost a. universal sentiment of sympathy and kindness among the operators for the ultímate success of the movement. In fact, many of the operators expressed themselves frankly and freely as willing to make the matter a oommon cause with the miners that an advance might thereby be assured. Therefore, this great Btrike became remarkable throughout the state and country as a sympathetic strike." Voluminous tabulations accompany the report to show in detail the facts whieh were gathered for the preservation of statistics of the strike. The recapltulations of these tables show that the 5,207 men partiolpatlng lost an average of 72.4 days. Taking into consideration the condición of the commercial business of the country and other reason for anticipating probable loss of time it' the men had not gone out, the secretary estimatas the actual net loss of time to the men at an average of 33 6 days and he assumes that $2 represents fairly the average daiiy wages the men were receiving. Bis conclusión is that the aggregate net loss of wagee to the strikers was íl,6)3,910, which is an average of Í67. 20 to each man. He does not attempt to show the loss to the operators or to other business inierests which were occasioned by the suspension. , Other tables present detailed statistios which show Chat ouly V 6'per cent, of the Btr'ikers were enabled co resume work ai etrt advahcè of Wagès, or under changed coniiitiórfs of einploynieht which coiild be presuaeü to be to thei rad vairi SRge. The report show that 13.4Í8 resumed work upon the same terms they worked under previous to the strike, and y,606submitted tQ rduced wages as che condición to reémployment, making 87.4 per cent. whose, oondition was not beneflted by striking. In other words, 25,307 men lost more than 11,600,000 to raise the wages of 3,172 others, without beneflting the conditlon of the 2Ö,Öa5.