West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-03-02
CONSUMERS NOT CONSIDERED.
n. y. Standard.

General Manager Whiting, of the
Reading coal and iron company,
gave some testimony before the Con-
gressional investigating committee
at Philadelphia last week that ought
to produce an impression on that
portion of the public which has been
led by subservient newspapers 20 be
lieve that the protected" laborers
in the Pennsylvania mining regions
have no reasonable cause for COM
plant. Mr.. Whiting made out the
best possible case for the companies
and denied that his own company
maintained "pluck-ile" stores or
taxed it's men for doctors and priests.
Such being the case, his admissions
were all the more remarkable.
Some Of the New York newspa
pers have insisted that striking
miners can go back to work when
ever they choose and obtain $3.50 a
day in wages. Mr.. Whiting testi-
fed that the average wages Of min
ers is from $12 to $l2.40 week,
and that the demand of the men is
for an advance of eight per cent. on
these prices. How many weeks in
the year the men can find work at
these prices the witness did not say,
though his subsequent testimony
showed that they were frequently
thrown out of work by the compa
ny's own action. When he was asked
if it is not true that men had been
induced or compelled to become Idle
to check the supply Of coal, he an
swered, Il presume they have been;
when the supply exceeds the de-
mand with US we close up"
Another question gave glimpse
of the method by which the compa
nv ascertains when the supply is
too great. Mr.. Whiting said that,
so far as he knew, there was at pre-
sent no combination to restrict the
supply of coal, but that as recently
as 1884 there had been an "allot-
ment system" by which the probable
demand for coal was ascertained
each month and an allotment made
to each operator Of the share he or
it was to contribute toward meeting
the demand. The allotment was
made to prevent over production and
to keep up prices. This explanation
led to the following interesting col
loquy:
"How about the consumers in that
allotment?"
"Oh, we did not consider the con-
sumner. 1t was, l was about to ex-
plain, of advantage to me-
Chairman Tillman(interrupting):
swell, you did not consider the con-
sumner. OF course not. But we do;
and we propose, if we can, TO pass
law that will protect the consumer,
whom you don't consider. 1t is the
consumer whom we represent, and we
propose to see to that"
In relation to the present strike,
Mr.. Whiting admitted that all of
the mines in the Schuylkill region,
except that of the Reading company
were open and paying the eight per
cent. advance, but he insisted that
if the Reading company granted the
advance and put its men to work the
price of coal, which had advanced
one dollar a ton in Philadelphia,
would drop, and the individual col
leries be compelled to lower wages
to the price insisted on by the Read
ing company. Another brief ex
tract from the report of the exami-
nation of this witness, gives frank
evidence of the cold blooded calcu-
lation of chances on which the COM
pany depends. 1t is as follows:
Have you made no effort to sup
ply the places of the striking min
ers?"
No, sir"
"Why?"
Because we desire and expect
our old men to come back"
lon your own terms?"
Sat the old rates, yes"
What force do you rely upon to
bring these men back?"
well, sir, their necessities.
Mr.. Anderson-That is to say,