The Coal Strike Is Over Work Begins Monday

The coal strike is ended. Work at the mines will be resumed next Monday. Arbitrators have been appointed. Organized labor has a representative on the commission. Such is the glad news the Argus brings its readers today.

At 10 o'clock a. m. yesterday President Mitchell, of the mine workers, issued the following statement at Wilkesbarre, Pa.:

"Appreciating the anxiety and impatience of the public and the mine workers for some authoritative statement from this office, I issue this bulletin to say that I was unalterably opposed to the acceptance of or acquiescence in the form of settlement proposed by the coal operators because it restricted the president of the United States in making selection of the men who were to determine the questions involved in the coal strike.

"These restrictions having been removed and representation given to organized labor as well as to organized capital, I am now prepared to give my personal approval to a settlement of the issues involved in this strike by the commission selected by the president and shall recommend to the executive officers of districts 1, 7 and 9 in their meeting today that an immediate call be issued for la convention whose authorization is necessary to declare the strike at an end.

"In the meantime I trust that the people of the country will be as patient as possible, as we are moving as rapidly as the interests of our people will permit.”

The information from Washington early yesterday that both parties to the controversy in the anthracite coal strike had reached an agreement to arbitrate and that the great conflict is about to close, was received throughout the entire coal region with the greatest satisfaction. It created considerable excitement in the mining towns.

"There is a general belief that there will be a general resumption of coal mining by Monday.

President Roosevelt has appointed the following commission to arbitrate the differences between the operators and their employees:

Brig. Gen. John M. Wilson, U. S. A., retired, late chief of engineers, U. S. A., Washington, D. C., as an officer of the engineer corps of either the military or naval service of the United States.

E. W. Parker, Washington, D. C., as an expert mining engineer. Mr. Parker is chief statistician of the coal division of the United States geological survey and the editor of the Engineering and Mining Journal of New York.

Hon. George Gray, Wilmington, Del., as a judge of a United States court.

E. E. Clark, Cedar Rapids, Ia., grand chief of the Order of Railway Conductors, as a sociologist, the president assuming that for the purposes of such commission, the term sociologist means pe a man who has thought and studied deeply on social questions and has practically applied his knowledge.

Thomas H. Watkins, Scranton, Pa., as a man practically acquainted with the mining and selling of coal.

Bishop John L. Spalding, of Peoria, Ill. The president added Bishop Spalding's name to the commission.

Commissioner of Labor Carroll D. th Wright will act as recorder of the commission.

It is said that the personnel of the commission is entirely satisfactory to both the operators and President Mitchell of the mine workers.

THE SITUATION HERE. The council contented itself Wednesday night with appointing a committee consisting of Ald. Hamilton, Schlenker and Grose to co-operate with the poormaster and to investigate the supply of fuel in the city.

The mayor sent the following message to the council:

Mayor's Office, Ann Arbor, Mich., Oct. 15. '02. 

To the Honorable the Common Council-Gentlemen:

There is in our community such a feeling of apprehension concerning the question of fuel supply that it seemed wise to call you together in a special session to consider the matter.

I have taken pains to investigate the condition of the coal and wood yards and I am glad to report that our people will not be in immediate danger of suffering from want of fuel. On yesterday afternoon the fuel dealers met at my request and after careful inventory of their resources reported as follows:

They have in hand 3,050 cords of wood and 1,430 tons of soft coal.

While the usual winter supply of hard n-coal for our city is 20,000 tons, they have furnished but 10,000 tons. However, they have placed an extraordinary amount of soft coal and wood and estimate that our citizens are supplied with fully two-thirds of the normal amount of fuel.

Furthermore, the dealers are still receiving soft coal and, while it is furnished them at a price considerably above the amount it usually costs, they feel hopeful that it can be supplied to our people at a reasonable rate. More than this, the dealers have authorized me to state that they will furnish the city, at absolute cost, all the fuel it needs to supply the poor of our community. 

Certainly this is a very generous offer. For getting fuel and handling it, the dealers have facilities which cannot be quickly provided by the city itself. Undoubtedly, they can furnish the supply cheaper than we could get it by any other plan.

After looking over the situation it seems to me our people are more in need of suitable stoves than of fuel. Undoubtedly many families have base burners and are not provided with stoves suitable for burning wood and soft coal. The ordinary furnace, well cleaned and free from leaks, will consume soft coal. It requires more care,

of course, but the owner will at least not suffer from cold. I believe the warning should be given that in all probability soft coal and wood will be the only available forms of fuel.

Even though the strike is ended this week it will be three months, the dealers say, before Ann Arbor will receive hard coal. Every family must have stoves suitable for wood or soft coal.  From my standpoint that seems the chief difficulty at present.

The charter makes it our duty to provide for the poor of the city. With the possibility of a shortage of fuel and consequent suffering, we can ill afford to take any chances in the matter. The very least that can be done by your honorable body is the appointment of a committee to co-operate with e the overseer of the poor and to be made responsible for accurate knowledge of the fuel supply and the needs of our citizens. We want no one of our people to freeze or even suffer by reason of any neglect of ours.

Respectfully,

R. S. COPELAND, Mayor. 

The mayor also submitted the following letter to the committee:

Cheboygan, Mich., Oct. 14, 1902.   Mayor Copeland, Ann Arbor, Mich. 

Dear Sir:

We have five thousand cords of 16-inch hemlock and pine short wood, which is worth seventy five cents per cord F. 0. B. cars here. It could be shipped to Ann Arbor, present rates, $26 per car. Large car will hold from 40 to 50 cords. This would make it cost about $1.25 to $1.35 per cord. By agreeing to ship so many to cars the M. C. R. R. Co. ought to make a special rate.

Please present this letter at the special meeting of the council you have called for tomorrow night and let them take action on it.

Yours truly, 0. M. CLARK & SON.

The discussion at the meeting took the turn of how to provide fuel for the city poor. Very little was said about the fuel question from the standpoint of the laboring man or the man of moderate means.

Aldermen Hamilton, Grose and Schlenker discussed the matter and the following citizens were called upon and expressed their opinions: C. E. Hiscock, Col. H. S. Dean, and C. A. Ward. It seemed to be the opinion that justice might be expected at the hands of the wood dealers and that they would not take advantage of the stringency to unduly raise the price of wood. Mayor Copeland also spoke and after appointing the committee the council adjourned.

AD

Too late to cure a cold after consumption has fastened its deadly grip on the lungs. Take Dr. Wood's Norway Pine Syrup while yet there is time.

AD

SUNDAY EXCURSION TO TOLEDO.

The next Sunday excursion to Toledo over the Ann Arbor Railroad will be given October 19. Special train will leave Ann Arbor at 10:25 a.m. Fare for the round trip 50 cents. Children under twelve years of age half the adult fare.

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