The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-17
INVESTIGATING THE STRIKE
Continuation of the Inquiry as to the
Trouble in the Anthracite Region.
General Manager Whiting. of the Reading
Coal Iron Company. Gives the Corpora
tions Side of the Case-0ther Labor News.


Congressional committee appointed to investi-
gate the strike on the Reading railroad and in
the SchuylkIl and Lehigh coal regions was re-
sumed this morning. with General Manager
A B. Whiting, of the Reading Coal and Iron
Company, as the first witness. MIR. Whiting.
in answer to various inquiries. entered into
statistical information in relation to the coal
output Of the anthracite regions. He said that
the total production of 1856 80. 764, 900 TONS
and IN 1887 il was over "a. 100000 tons. The
output has gradually increased to these figures
from 20, I20. 900 tons in 1882 The output of the
SchuylkiIl region was 10. 24o.0 900 tons in 1883.
and $751; 407 in 1886. For 1887 it was about
$500, 600 tons In quoting tons, he meant 2,240
pounds
He could not say how many cubic feet of coal
in the mines would be required to make a ton
Of coal, bat approximately from 800 to 1000
tons are gotten from a square acre foot thick
When asked whether he could explain to the
committee how it was that the wagons into
which the coal Is measured for the miners were
Of various sizes, and what basis there is for the
Slain that the miners are unfairly dealt with
in this way, ne replied that there had been no
such charges made at the Reading Coal and Iron
Company's mines. the wagons cars were of
several sizes. but were uniform in measure. and
there foundation for such complaint, so
far as his company is concerned. Returning to
figures, he said that mis- oany operated forty
five collIeries. all of which We're leased In 1887
the output of the leased collieries was !. l69 600
tons, and OF those owned by the company 5. no.
l6L The most productive of the colIeries were
owned by the company. one turning out 434 ,091
tons last year The best of the leased collieries
produced 100. 600 tons ia the same year. He had
nothing to do with selling the coal. and knew
nothing of IL after it left the mines.
He did not know. of his own
krn Vvl zhafh mar has 1ear a nal
incf ease the price of coal since September
last The witness did not think that the coal
. and iron company owned any property outside
& Its coal territory. except some ron-ore beds in
Cumberland county and in New York He did
NOT think they owned the golfers which con-
veyed the coal to various ports from Underwater.
These, he understood. were owned by the rail-
road company. His company did own the
property at Port Richmond The witness was
asked what ne knew about John Ell. Jones, and
replied that he only knew him as statistician
who COMPLIED Information for the trade about
the coal supply and other things connected with
the coal trade.
AT this point Mr. Anderson of Kansas, had
read from a newspaper figures OF Jones's show
ing that. Notwithstanding the strikes in the
Schuvlkill and Lehieh regions. the output of
coal in January, 1883, was IL. 600 tons greater
than In January. 1881
Mr. Whiting then asked to detail the
story of the miners strike. He said that the
when the trouble arose with the railroad men,
who were mem bers of the same.or similar orders
Labor. Manager Whiting then detailed at length
she story of the miners strike and it's causes.
He said he advised them to continue at work
after Jan. l. at which time the agreement for
the per cent advance terminated. as he be-
ieyed that when the company should be taken
out of the hands of receivers the new manage
ment would do the fair thing by them The
Reading miners were receiving better pay than
the Lehigh miners. In answer to Ques-
ton from Mr. Anderson. the witness SAID
that the the company did not
wish to continue the advance keep in force
the contract after Jan. l. was that il was pro-
posed after that to change the entire system,
which was not considered a good one. Mr.
Whiting continued: 1.-The coal company owns
the houses at the mines, general thing, but
there has heen no evIcting. The houses rent for
from So TO $l2 month; some of them cost 5000,
others 81, 100. The latter rent for $I2, the
former for s3. The company has stores.
does not collect from it's miners for doctors,
priests, or taxes. or anything else" The wit
ness corroborated Mr.. Corbin's testi-
mony about violence from the strik-
at work since the strike. Threats of
murder were made through Anonymous com
munlcations, and armed men, with clubs and
pistols, intimidated people who were at
work He referred to the riots at Shenandoah,
and of threats made, especially at Shamokin.
The men especially responsible were Poles and
Hungarians. They not brought this
country the mines by the railroad coal
company. Armed police, paid by the company,
serve order. and had succeeded in doing so. The
witness denied that Pinkerton detectives were
employed The witness showed how the strike
was encouraged by the labor organizations, and
especially tho Knights of Labor He said that
of the 81, 600 men employed by his company all
but 2 QUO had gone out There were 5000 boys
In the total of employees. The payroll Of the
company was over $500, 900 a month.
Mr.. Whiting was then asked whether there
was or had been any combination in which the
Reading company took part to restrict the
natural supply OF anthracite coal. He said that
Mt present there was none that he knew of, and
he did not believe that there was any such, but
a. ~.
system, the object and effect of which was to rs-
strict the output He explained that all the
operators. or practically all of them in the an
thracite regions, were In this combinations, and
explained at length how The scheme was
worked. Practically it amounted to an ascer-
tainment, each month, of the probable demand
operator allotted TO supply his or it's
share of this demand, and mora This
share was in proportion 90 the capacity OF such
operator or pany. as compared with the to-
tai capacity of all Under this arrangement the
Readine's share was from 18 to 20 per cent
THIS was to prevent overproduction and keep
MP prices. The witness said his company had
not tried TO fill the strikers places, because it
wanted it's old men to come back He believed
their necessities would force them to yield. In
making the allotmeut Of production the con-
sumer OF coal was not considered
session was held tonight At which General
Manager Mcleod. OF the Reading road, and
President George b. DeKeim. of the coal and
iron company. were examined at length. but no
new facts of general interest were elected
Snhrnan Ililulan toward the close pressed Mr..
keim "a know how the Reading company, while
main tanning the price of coal So per higher
thar II should be, starving it's miners and losing
the larger part OF its traffic by reason of its
mines being closed, was going to earn its fixed
charges and keep out of bankruptcy but the
witness did not explain at al fully.
A Fight for a Quarter of n Cent
PITTsBURG, Feb. l6-The Monongahela river
miners are uniting in an effort to have the price
paid In the fourth pool that was agreed upon
There are several works in the fourth pool