Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-02-20
DAMAGING TESTIMONY.
A Newspaper Man Quotes a Few Figures
About the Reading.

A Newspaper Man Quotes a Few Figures
About the Reading.
PHILADELPHIA, February II. The
Congressional Investigation Committee re.
sumed its inquiry in the Reading railroad
strike this morning, the first witness be
ing General Superintendent Sweigard of
the Reading Railroad Company, who was
recalled TO enable him to put in evidence
the text of the agreement made with tn?
employees of the railroad company and the
vouchers showing that Lee, n Of the
leaders of the labor organization, had
been in the employ Of the company while
he was at Pottsville at the outbreak
of the trouble. Mr.. Sweigard read the
clause of the agreement, which guaran-
teed TO the men an investigation. The
men had claimed that they had been guar
anteed a fair trial before discharge for any
cause. The clause of the agreement which
was read, was that every nan should re-
ceiye fair trial in case of any accident that
might have occurred through carelessness.
The Lee voucher was for special services
rendered during October, at Pottsville, and
the pay was at the rate of 81 per day.
Upon the conclusion of this witness
testimony, John Norris, one of the editors
of the Philadelphia Record, who has been
the statistician of the Pacific railroad iu-
yestigating committee, was called. The
witness quoted figures to show that coal
could be bought at Port Richmond for
ninety.Gye cents less q ton it wanted for
shipment to Boston or New York than was
demanded if the very same coal was in
tended for the Philsdelpbia trade. Mr..
Norris said that last year the Reading Rail.
road Co. had earned Is per cent IN tue cost
Of the road, and was one of the most profit
able roads in the country. It's losses came
from the necessity of paying interest on
the enormous debt which was the result Of
the policy Of combining the business OF q
carrier with that of q miner. Witness
went into q long statement of facts to show
that the Reading Railroad Company failed
10 do its duty under the law as o common
carrier. r. had paid out drawbacks; ii
had been investigated by the Legislature
and n constitutional amendment adopted
to stop its discrimination and abuses OF it
charter. He said that it had comb ned
with the Pennsylvania railroad and was
now giving that company's line to the
coal regions hundreds Of thousands o.
tons of coal a year under an agree
ment to prevent competition. HI
believed from what he had
heard that the Reading had agreed II
increase the allotment to 1000. 900 tom
during the present year. Although tn
Pennsylvania line was built with TN
promise and expectation that the competi
ton weuld decrease the price of coal price
had been kept up as usual and no good Il
the people had resulted. Mr.. Norris en-
tered into very close detail and quoted
voluminous figures to show that the Read
ing Railroad and the Reading Coal and lroI
Company was taxing the people to make
small part of the great coal field owned b!
it pay the interest on the money extraya
gantly paid for it and all its losses in add
ton. The witness said that be had thor
oughly investigated the statement mad.
by Mr.. Corbin that the Reading Coal and
Iron Company had mined 81, 900, 600 ton
of coal from 1873 to 1888 ct a loss Of owe
$40, 0O0, 900, having paid $57, 1000, 600 =
the miners and receiving but $44, 800 O'
for their output. Witness quoted the hg
ures by years from 1873 to 1888. and salt
that the proceeds for that period had
really been, as shown, by the company
own hooks, $50, 624, 900, and thus the com
pany had really received 500, 0OO. 600 NOR
than it had paid out.
Fl. I. Bennett, one Of the leading
J knights of Labor, was then put on tn