The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-07-02
Mine LecisIntlon.


of legislation enacted at the present
session of the Legislature, introduced
by Representative Miller, of Luzerne
county, is entitled IAN act to pro
tect the lives and limbs of miners
from the dangers resulting from in
competent miners working in the
anthracite coal mines of this common
wealth, and to provide for the exami-
nation of persons seeking employ
ment as miners, and to prevent the
employing of incompetent persons as
miners in the anthracite coal mines,
and providing penalties for the viola
tion of the same
The bill provides that hereafter no
person shall be employed as a miner
in any anthracite mine without hav-
ing first obtained certificate of com
potency and qualification from the
miners examining board of the dis
triet wherein he seeks employment,
and having been duly registered. In
each of the eight inspection districts
of the anthracite coal region there is
to be created miners examining
board consisting of eight miners, to
be appointed by the president judge
of the courts within the district, such
board being selected from among
miners who have had not less than
q No. - IMPRACTICAL experience. The
2zghbefs Of such boards are oreceive
SO per day for each day actually en-
gagged, and legitimate expenses in at
tending the meetings of the board
Each examining board must meet
3, once every month at a convenient
point for the purpose of examining
applicants for certificates and regis
tration such meetings to be open.
Every person examined shall pay to
the board the sum of one dollar, and
if qualified as miner he shall pay
twenty-five cents for his certificate.
The money thus derived is to be ap-
piled to the payment of the salary
and expenses of the members of the
board. 1t is especially provided that
no portion of the money necessary to
defray the cost of maintaining the
boards shall be drawn from the state
treasury.
The bill is a lengthy one and con
tains many provisions, the trend of
all being in the direction indicated in
the preamble. If this bill shall be
honestly and rigidly enforced the an
thracite coal mines will in at least
some instances experience very de-
eided changes. Incompetent, mex
perienced and non-English speaking
miners will be weeded out and only
competent and experienced miners be
able to procure situations. One sec
tion provides that no person shall
hereafter engage as a miner in any
anthracite coal mine without having
obtained a certificate of competency
from an examining board, and no
person shall employ as miner any
person who does not hold such a
certificate and no mine foreman or
superintendent shall permit any per
son to be employed under him, or in
the mines under his charge or super
vision who does not hold "a certificate
from an examining board. Fines and
Imprisonment are prescribed as the
penalties for violations of this law.
Persons now serving on the boards
created by the act of 1889 shall con
tinue to serve as members of the ex-
anining boards until their terms eX-
pire, subject to the provisions of this
act Certificates issued to miners
under the act of 1889 are not invali-
dated by the new act. 1t seems to us
that, if rigidly enforced, Mr.. Miller's
bin will have the effect of Kidding the
mines of incompetent miners, through
whose inexperience, or ignorance, or
inability, many accidents are con
stantly occurring. Everything de
pends upon the efficiency and
integrity OF the examining boards,
who are made the sole judges of the
qualification of applicants for ex-
animation and registration. Alto
gether this bill seems to us TO be com
pre- hensiye and not diiicnlt of en-