The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-25
SLAVES OF THE BAR0NS.
COMPANY STORES ROB THEM OF
THEIR EARNINGS

! Seventy-flve Per Cent. Profit Charged
Over that Asked by Individual Store
keepers-One of the Leading Indi-
vidual Miners of the State on tho
| Stand.
HAzELTON, PA, Feb. 24.-The Congress
sional Committee continued its inquiry here
to-day into the miners strike in the Lehigh
coal region. Thomas Campbell, who keeps
Il general store at Freeland, testified that
the company stores charged 70 per cent,
profit in some cases above the ordinary
prices charged at the individual stores He
| knew this from a personal inspection of
miners paSs-books at the company stores.
The witness could not give any absolute
data of the profits charged by the company
stores at present. He did not think the
profits are as gxat now as formerly, us
| there is more competition now.
Aris Pardee, one of the largest individual
coal operators in the State, was sworn. He
has been coal operator forty-three years.
| The witness never owned any lands but
leased coal lands from the Lehigh Valley
| Railroad Company. He leases now 5000
| acres, 1000 acres of which belong to the
railroad company. He pays the Lehigh
Valley Railroad Company 45c. per ton
! royalty for mining coal ON its lands. The
| witness said he employed over 1000 hands.
COST OF A TON OF COAL
When asked what the cost of mining a
ton of coal was the witness at first refused
to answer and fatty told the committee it
was none of its business but finally an
swered the question. He said that exclu-
| sive of the royalty and not considering in
| terest on the capital invested it cost to
mine and put a ton of coal on the cars
81 80. The labor cost Is over 81 a ton. At
| his collieries labor was last year paid over
$500 900 cash and as much more in supplies,
provisions clothing, etc. Before the strike
the miners wages were $ll 80 a week,
miners laborers 80 10, and general
laborers 50 70 per week. The real
cause of the strike was the fact
that the Operators refused to deal or
have any communication with labor organ
| izations and would not deal with them. The
witness said that Mr.. Evans statement yes
terday that the wages of the miners did not
| exceed $50 a month was not true He said
that in 1887 he employed 1,64S hands, in
Guiding outside labor and boys, and paid
out on wages account $46O,7l6
EARNED $42 PER MONTH.
This would show much greater pay to
miners than $50, and the witness said that
| it would amount to $42 on an average
We estimated the cost of labor to put ton
of coal on the cars at 81. 33. 1t was not true
either that this company took from the
wages of the miners and laborers doctors
pay and priests pay. Some few operators
| do, but it is exceptional. The COM
panies which he controls do take
this out but only at the free and writ
ten request of the men. If it is not
formally requested it is not taken out
| When he was asked TO estimate the cost of
a ton of coal delivered at Tidewater, the
witness figured 81 80 for mining, 45c. for
royalty, and 81 so for freight, total of
| So rs, and exhibited accounts of sales of coal
at New York for from SO 95 to 81 in Septem-
Der last. When asked what he would say to
miners who lived in his houses and were on
a strike he said that he proposed to turn all
of them out who used violence to keep
others from work; as to the others he felt
| like the farmer towards his vicious bull
Golden, "You can go to HI, Golden said
he, but added, you may come back again
for shall need you badly" He was willing
that the mon should go to work on
| the same terms as are given to
the Wyoming or Schuylleill miners,
but would not listen TO any appeal
from them through labor organizations
| They can go to work on the terms which
were in force before the strike, and after
they go to work he is willing to treat with
them as his employees, but not as Knights of
! Labor