Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-06
OPERATORS ARE MAD.
A Hornets Nest Stirred Up Ey the
Miners Relief Fund Bill.
QUIET ACTION In HARRISBURG.
Messrs. Rea and Watchorn Issue an Official
Statement.
MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL ITEMS

The coal operators are the most indignant
where. 1t is only natural that merchants
should oppose paying for the privilege Of
engaging in business, but with the coal
men, their opposition to the bill considered
in the Legislature yesterday providing for
tax on every ton of coal mined, for the pur-
| pose of creating an insurance fund for
| employees, has been worked up to a white
heat.
The bill requires the County Treasurer OF
| each county where coal is mined, to collect
the fund and control it. paying it out to
| beneficaries only upon warrants of the County
! Commissioners. issued after physicians cer-
! tficates stating nature and extent of injuries.
| Section of the bill reads as follows:
| ''Section Son and after the passage of this
| act all persons employed in near about the
| coal mines in this Commonwealth, incurrins
| bodily injury while employed at their work.
| shall be entitled to monthly payments at the
rate of 81 per day for every day that the injury
| incurred incapacitated the injured from pur-
| suing some honorable means of gaining
| 4 livelihood. and for the loss of
| limb $50 additional shall be allowed for
J each limb lost. When an injury shall
result in the loss of life $50 shall be allowed
| for funeral expenses, and the widow shall be
| allowed S8 month so long as she remains
widow, and 80 per month shall be allowed to
| each child under the age of IA years. provided
| in all cases that section of this act shall be
| complied with, and provides further that the
| benefit of this act shall apply to those only
who are citizens of the United States, or who
| have declared their intention of becoming
such"
| The operators think the bill has been intro
| duced and engineered by the labor leaders and
| are more indignant because of the fact that the
| bill had passed through the committee into the
| House and was called up for third reading yes
| Ierday before the operators knew any such q
| bill was in existence.
| a representative of the firm of ONeill Co.
| said yesterday that the operators had no more
| right to create an insurance fund tor their en-
ployes than have mill owners. manufacturers,
railway corporations or individual firms en-
ploying any number of men. The passage OF
| the bill means a cost of s. day to this hrm
| and rather than pay the amount they will
| vigorously protest againt the bill
| Captain ]. N. Bunton of Jos. Walton &
| Co., says S. 900 year would not exceed their
| liabilities under such a law. They pay $50. 600
year now to the Slackwater Navigation Com
| pany. and when they go into the coal markets,
under this load to compete with operators
| from other States who have no navigation ex-
penses ana no insurance fund to support, they
claim to be Disseminated against.
One operator continued the argument against
| the bill by saying that they would not object to
| it il they we're in position to saddle the bur-
| den on to the consumers but competition does
| not allow them to do that.