The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-09-10

the company store is maintained. This
institution has recently been made illegal
by the legislature of Pennsylvania, but
the corporations find means of evading
the statute. -Four or five of the leading
stockholders, for instance, will OVID a
store and put in an agent 10 manage it.
A commission is paid to the agent, or the
store building, owned by the company OF
operntor, is leased for from S12. 900 to
500, 600 year. The property is worth
actually from $500 to $500 rental. This
large sum represents prospective profits,
less fair sum for the agents services.
These stores charge from 10 to 30 per
cent more than is charged by the regular
WALLACE storekeepers. and the agents do
their best to tempt the men and their
families to extravagant expenditure. A
miners credit is good until his monthly
earnings are exhausted, and, though the
law of the state requires that all wages
shall be paid monthly in United States
money. there are mining places where
nothing is received by the men at the end
of each month but a receipted bill for
rent, for The sharpening of tools and for
goods bought at the store. A large nuns
Der Of suits are now pending to test the
validity of these receipts, some of the
workmen having sued corporation for
wages, notwithstanding the payment
of the store bills by the company. On
the trial the suits were decided IN favor
of the workingmen. A good many tricks
are resorted to by the stores for the pur-
pose of increasing the bill. If miner
wants a load of hay it is the practice to
haul it for him in installments, the store
charging for each hauling. Miners have
been ordered to LAY of" for several days
because they were few dollars ahead of
the store, and have been compelled to re
main idle until their Indebtedness at the
store equalled the sum due them from the
company,
Other exactions are charged against the
operators. Ii is said that they are unfair
in weighing coal In the anthartic res
gions mining is pald for by the day, so
many carloads being required for DAYS
work. The miner is fined for certain
percentage of slate in car. and dis
charged when the amount of slate is in
excess of the coal. His helper or slave
suffers with him. In the bituminous re-
gions the coal Is paid for by the bushel,
and seventy>six pounds constitute bush
ell The weighing boss determines fol-
the company, and the check weigher fol-
the men. The law requires that the meu
shall have this check weigher, and they
pay him from their earnings. But al
many mines this law is also evaded, anG
the men charge that they are cheated by
the weighing boss, and that for them s
ton sometimes means 5000 pounds. The
men are paid only for the coal that does
not pass through the screen. although the
J company sells all that is sent to the sur
face. Three weeks pay is kept back as {
guarantee that man will keep his con
tract, so that new hand works sever
weeks before receiving cent of pay
This is a good thing for the company
store. A miner who complains is drop
ped and he discovers that his name i
known at the neighborng mines, and tina
he cannot get employment in the vicinity
The men say that the operators keep
black list of the men who are dissatisfied