450 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXI. Xo. 534. 



parlies in interest have in advance con- 

 sented to abide by, you will endeavor to 

 establish the relations between the* em- 

 ployers and the wage workers in the an- 

 thracite field, on a just and permanent 

 basis, and, as far as possible, to do away 

 with any causes for the reoccurrences of 

 such difficulties as those which you have 

 been called upon to settle." Meanwhile 

 the strikers returned to work. Five 

 months later, March 18, 1903, the commis- 

 sion made its report to the president. The 

 report says: "The occasion of the strike of 

 1902 was the demand of the United Mine 

 "Workers of America for an increase in 

 wages, a decrease in time, and the payment 

 for coal by weight wherever practicable; 

 and where not, then paid by car. The 

 cause lies deeper than the occasion, and is 

 to be found in the desire for the recognition 

 by the operators of the miners' union. The 

 great strike of 1900 which resulted in an 

 advance of ten per cent, in the wages paid 

 to all classes of mine workers, did not leave 

 either miners or operators in a satisfied 

 state of mind, for both agree that since the 

 settlement of 1900 there have been in- 

 creased sensitiveness and irritation in the 

 mining districts as compared with the 

 previous twenty-five years or more." 



Every coal mining company finds, as to 

 the discipline, that there is generally a de- 

 cided change for the worse ; which, al- 

 though it is known to exist, and is shown 

 in many ways, is still difficult to define. 

 Formerly employees seemed to be willing 

 to turn their hand to anything that would 

 further the work of the company, but noAV- 

 adays if a man is asked to do a little out- 

 side of his regular line, he refuses to do 

 it or does it grudgingly, telling the foreman 

 that it is not his job. 



The feeling of sensitiveness and irrita- 

 tion to which the commission referred, has 

 not lessened, but, on the contrary, is a 

 smouldering fire, which breaks forth at the 



least provocation. The effect of this un- 

 favorable attitude on operations is reflected 

 in the following typical results showing 

 decreased efficiency generally. 



One company reporting on all its col- 

 lieries writes: ''We find that the labor 

 cost of producing coal during the period 

 from November 1, 1903, to April 30, 1904, 

 Avas 36.9 per cent, greater than during the 

 same months in 1899 and 1900." 



Two other collieries in the Lackawanna 

 region furnish the following statement, 

 showing decreasing efficiency: 



TABLE OF COMPARATIVE EABNINGS AND OtTPUT. 



Average Items. 



Colliery No. 1. 



Colliery No. 2. 



1901. 



1904. 



1901. 



1904. 





150 



193 



170 



210 



Net earnings per 











miner, eleven 











months 



$838.64 



$871.34 



$597.13 



$673.14 



Net earnings per 











miner, one 











month 



76.24 



79.21 



54.28 



61.19 



Daily wages 



4.17 



4.34 



2.88 



3.38 



Tons mined per 











miner per day .. 



9.44 



7.46 



7.29 



6.22 



In colliery No. 1, the earnings of 1901 

 taken as a basis, plus the 14.5 per cent, 

 awarded by commission, should be $959.24; 

 earnings per month, $87:50 ; per day, $4.77, 

 showing a decrease in net efficiency, not- 

 withstanding shorter hours and advanced 

 wages, of 26| per cent. 



In colliery No. 2, earnings of 1901, plus 

 14.5 per cent., should give $683.71 as net 

 earnings ; earnings per month, $62.15 ; 

 earnings per day, $3.30, showing net de- 

 crease of 16.9 per cent, in efficiency. 



The Present Status of Eailroading in 

 China. Chung Hui Wang, Yale Uni- 

 versity Law School. 



The present method of railroading in 

 China constitutes one of the prime factors 

 in the shaping of the future destiny of that 

 country. While other countries are now 

 lined with networks of railways, we fi.nd 



