The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-07-04
MIhgTls or EvlplAeE

IL s5 aaa nsrca1 rnn f si
ROY ALnCi0 0MMIssION. mn
- -AypsasssD TO lf Hss
Inquire Inte the Rules of Trades Unions.
PRESENT:
4 Ths Right Honersb'- sfr VIZ. EaLH. Presiding.
Tho RsAt Hsnsrshas ne KAaL or Lsrcas,ELD.
Lord ELcHo, NJ p. y
The Right Honorable Sir EDxunD wALxER HEAD
Bart, 4. o. ID. a tH- s-At
MIR DAHnL oesea, Bart, MP.
HsHnAz MzanvALA Esq., Ga
JAARs BoorH, Esq, G. b
THoHAs HueREs, Ksq,MP
ERsDBECE HAasIsor, Esq. sao aA
H Mr.. ALEx.SDeR McDoNALD, examined.
j Lord Eieho-Take your esp ,xasssriptiou
Il OF work-you said It was The hardest and
most dissgreeable work ia the pit, namely
running these levels ia get part Of the pin
and consequently the best pad work Whai
was the highest sum you could make in .
day then have made ten shilings day
then. aaa
Mr.. Mathsws-Working by the dsyt BY
the yard and ton. -. .6 y .5f 81. e.a4
Il Lord Elcho How many hours hat yeu to
work for thatf | was never inclined TO
work more than eight hours day, and any
good workman can tire himself Ia eight
hours he is worthless miner who cannot
fatigue himself in eight hours.
Is the same description of work dcae now
In the mines as that which you are desclib-
ingi Yes. 9-aE
4 What would q man working as hard as
you worked then make now Tue class of
work that did then was entirely by special
contract; II was out Of the ordinary work.
ing To give you an instance of the kind OF
Y contract had once, drove a wet level once
Of 40 .athoms down, going under water. 1t
was wet in the bottom, AMI there v a. wet
pouring from the root. This was al iron /.
stone mine, aud water wrs coming out of
/ the cutters or joints Of the iron, and IN the
morning when | came 10 the first thing that
J did was to roll myself III oyer right in the
water and wet every part Of the body, for
the express purpose that the water falling
| from the roof should not create the very IN
| pleasant sensation which water does to one
who has gone recently from his bed into
mine that is wet
Mr.. Mathews-You took il in on- dose
instead of . variety OF doses. Yes,Sl pre-
ferred The plunge instead Of the shower
bath.
Lord Elcho-Ycu took this work ry con-
tract? Yes.
There is no such thing as taking il by
contract nowf Yes, there Is.
Nowadays, if . man worked for eight
hours as hard rs you old at the same escrip.
ton Of work, you having made los. day-
what would that man make now, OF what
would you yourself make uows should
not work at that class Of work if were
working now, under los day. Every msn
judges Of conrse Of his capabilities as he
likes, but when n workman I was one of
those workmen that could not be satisfied
With any small wages, because 4. always felt
that ny labor was WORTH more than any
other mans not in wet work.
Mr.. Mathews-Are II ere plenty If men
working contract now tllat would get los.
day az that kind Of work know mtn
getting Is. and 7s., but none getting los per
day, a.
il were to tell You that know men get
ting los. day at that kind Of work YOU
would not discredit the statement? Ger
hainly not. sIlaT
b. Lord EIcho-I suppose that now If men
gain less il Is because they do not work as
hard as you did 7 Yes, or they may not
estimate their services at the same rate as |
did. .'E'. A
Earl OF Lichheld- You say that you work
ed BY the yard at that time; that is, you
cut yard OF ironstone and were paid so
much for it2 Yes. Hri s3 ~
What 10 paid now for that yard Of IRON
stone That field Of iron that refer to is
entirely exhausted, and that being so, there
is sHch variety Of fields that there is no
thing In common so rs to make the COM
parison. -
Take the case u coal mine at that time;
suppose It was worked BY the yard at that
time, was II notf Yes
2 What was paid In coal mine for working
coal by the yard st that time From 12s.
! 70 lSs. and 14s.s (according to the rate OF
wagss) per fathom. aai .aeli ll,s la-
And what is paid nov - At the present
time it is under those rates. .Ga
Mr.. Mathews-All that would be In
nuenced by the greater or less degree Of
hardness OF the seam there is no rule.
Unfortunately for our part Of the country
that seam Of the black band Of Lanarkshire
is near exhausted. i
Lord Elcho-Did you work in the pit all
the year round, summer and winter Up
tili three years before left the mines; / did
not work then in the winter season.
What did you do in the winter season. I
went to college three sessions in the winter
season.
You attended the Glasgow University,
believer / attended the Glasgow Uni.
versity. aa'
| With the savings which you had ~a~~ted
by your work in the summer With the
savings which had effected previously, aud
With those savings which ! had effected in
the summer as well.
I In the summer, was II the habit Of men
to work every day in the week, or was there
great deal Of play then in the mines p
i Well, the system would vary. In the IRON
stone district We generally bad regular work,
and that vas where | worked at the time
when | attended the University.
Do you think that men worked harder
then than nowf No; think there was
less work done then, though the hours were
longer, than what is done now; but the ap-
PlAncss have considerably changed the cir
cumstances.
You say that with the savings you effect
! cd through your summer work, and other
SAVINGS Tor three years, You attended the
Glasgow classes. Are those classes very
sxPens,sef Yes, they are very expensive.
may ASK what your attendance az those
classes would cost your Class fees, and
books and maintenance cost me always
about SOL. to COL. fF+a aAa
That 10 books, attendance at the college
collsgs ices and living, daring the winter
Yes and lodging. HTa
Mr.. Aaihews--For q year, For sir
months. rsgs as a. tfots
4 Lord Echo---What was the course you
Insaendedf i attended the humanity classes
Iaa Ne call them--thas' is, Latin, che Greek
classes and the logic classes, cod mathe:
a mmtica- IsA Als#- 4sfs
When yon wsntto the University, what
bad youI prsyioas education been; had you
besl. educated before q common school
When . sehildaI aAsndsd at the parish
sABsfore yon wsre eight ysars old Befors
Was eight vearn old vnu ear, 49, tf.era-