The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-11-16
PRESENT MINE LAWS.

PRESENT MINE LAWS.
The United Mine Workers of America will
be represented at Harrisburg this winter by
special committee who will look after the in
terests of the anthracite miners and laborcrs.
The interest manifested by this organization,
together with the report of the Commission
on the Pttston mine disaster, will naturally
result in many changes being made in the
present mine laws Of the state which in
many respects are am injustice to miners aud
their correction is urgently demanded.
In his report to the Secretary of Internal
Affairs Inspector q. NJ. Williams submits
some information that is directly TO the point
aud should receive proper consideration at the
hands Of the State Legislature. He says:
Nearly all laws that have been enacted
with a view of relieving the distressed COLI
dition of the worliugmcn Of the mines have
to moro or less extent infringed upon their
liberty and made their life less tolcrablc
Excepting the act Of 1870, known as the
ventilation act which was amended in lSS5,
and is entitled AN act to provide for the
health aud safety Of persons employed n
coal mines, D" not one of all the laws enacted
has been Of benefit to this class Of workmen
and some Of these laws are doing n great
amount of injury. Some Of the changes
made in this Act in 1891 are Objectionable and
work to the injury of large class. The laws
which requires that ;he state assume the re-
sponsibiIity of declaring who is competent
to be a mine foreman is wrong, because il de-
prives the person who may be injured
through their incompctcucy of the right Of
redress by the parties who employs him. This
law has stimulated more reading and
deeper study of the theoretical knowledge
required for the successful management of
mines but this could have been accomplished
without placing the responsibility of the
foreman's competency upon the state. i
"The act of 1891, through blunder in Ena
PRODUCING the term fire boss, requires Go,, and
man can deake an examination o6Ii6cation
from the state ThercI6Hre, SSR{Ery fire boss
must have his certificate from the state and
the state becomes responsible for his com
potency. After trial of nearly five years
l have been convinced that this law does no
good, does not improve the service and takes
away the injured mans chance for redress
and it costs each miner $500 to get his GER
tifcate which has to be given to him upon
the recommendation of his employer as the
one who knows best as to his qualification for
the work, After ten years Of annual eXami,
nations ! am satisfied that a mans qualiica-
ton to be mine foreman, fire boss or a
miner, cannot be determined satisfactorily
by examination in room. He must be seen
Vat his work and his employer who secs him
lerc is in the best position to know his capa-
bilites
The law requiring miner to have his
certificate has been the cause of keeping in
teligent and experienced men from coming
to the region and has enabled the operators
to employ every kind Of men to mine coal
without their being responsible Before the
enactment Of This law incompetent men
were not employed, but now they are em-
ployed by hundreds. All is asked of them is
to have certificates, and they get them.
There are other laws which / could men
ton which were passed under the preteuse of
helping the workingman that have been a
curse to him. Aside from the acts passed in
1870 and 1850 none have been passed that
have been beneficial These acts have done
an immeasurable amount of good, Before
1870 there were no properly ventilated mines,
no examinations by fire bosses in the morn
iugs, no second openings, NO roofs or cages in
shafts, no bridge chains, no safety catches,
no maps, no measuring of ventilation and
very little attempt 10 ventilate no account
of accidents, no investigation of accidents,
no report Of ventilations. Narrow, dirty and
wet roads, careless timbcring Injured men
were hauled home in coal wagons and dozens
Of other things were done which have been
vastly improved upon since the enactment of