The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-21

his own house, which he paid for when
| times were better. 1t would require $50
or $50 to raise his family as he would
| like to. He knew of no great destitu-
tion. He had seen It when 1t was worse.
| Dennis Judge, of the sixth ward, a
miner at the Archibald colllery Of the
Delaware, Lacl1awanna and Western
company, testified that he received 9S
cents a car for a car supposed to con-
tain two tons of clean coal Seven
days a month Is the highest hds mine
has worked any month this year. His
! average earning per month was about
$40 a month. Eighteen or twenty cars
| of coal could be mined with a keg of
powder. Bach keg costs $2.75.
| Mr.. Judge, when asked to tell some
\ thing about the docking, said after ex-
| planning it's workings that the sys-
| tenn was not fair.
Senator Vaughan was invited to ask
the witness amy question he cared to-
He asked the witness if he traded In a
company store. and when he received
a negative answer asked II he knew
of any miners being coerced into trad
ing In company stores. The answer
| was again in the negative.
Anamah Evans of the West Side, a
miner at Cayuga, testified that he re-
| ceived SO cents a car for clean COAL
He earned about SIS month during the
| four months of the present year. Ov-
| ercrowding of the mines, he thought
was the cause Of much of the distress.
MR.. POWELL'S TESTIMONY.
Alfred Powell, of Bellevue, a miner
| who employs two laborers, stated
| that he cuts nine cars day when ten
| hours are worked. During the four
months of the present year he worked
| about thirty full days all told. He be-
| lieved there has been a falling off in the
work as compared with the corres-
ponding months of last year. During
the four months of this year he made
about SO a day. There is no organized
charity for the relief of the miners ex-
cept their own benefit associations. The
company does not contribute to the
| help of injured miners. However, the
company has a hospital where they
can be cared for. The men are not re-
quired to rent company houses and as
far as witness knew the company has
no stores. Neither has any boss or
amy one connected with the company.
JONI al jules, Ol bellevue, was next
called but the committee did not desire
amy more testimony from Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western miners as
a number had already been heard, and
when Mr.. Jones indicated that he had
nothing particular to impart he was ex-
cused.
w. j. Burke, of Minooka, an employe
of William Connell & Co., testified that
aitrh
and seventy-nine cents was the amount
paid for each car. He worked thirteen
days on an average during the four
months of the present year. He clear
ed about $2.25 a day. These wages does
not allow him to raise his family as he
would like to. He does not deal in a
company store. He had never been
asked to deal in a company store nor
was it ever intimated to him that it
would be well to trade there. During
his twenty years employment with this
company he never heard of any one
being required to trade in the company
store or that anv one had ever suf-
fercd in any way for not doing so. The
overplus of labor, the witness ascribed
as the cause of the depression. Re-
stricted immigration would relieve the
present condition.
Frank Toole, of Minooka, an ex-
miner now supervisor Of Lackawanna
township, thought if the company
store bill and two weeks pay bill were
enforced it would be of some assistance
in relieving the depression. He had
heard miners say that they got bad
places because they did not trade in
the company store. Foreigners are
CrOWdino n Cai
miners out of their places. The Eng
lish speaking miners educated them
and now they are taking their tutors
places. There are three men for every
job, he said, in the smaller mines.
John McManama, a track layer for
Connell & Co., said he dealt in the
company's store sometimes. He had
never been asked to deal there and
only bought such goods there as could
be purchased as cheaply as anywhere
else.
FIFTEEN DOLLARS A MONTH.
Richard Shevelin, a miner at the Cav
uga, thought the work had fallen off
about so per cent. as compared with
last year. His entire earnings Tor the
first four months was $50 The mine
he is employed at is not particularly
overcrowued. Witness was acquaint-
ed with the miners certificate law and
did not believe it was of any benefit
to the miners. He never heard
of the one certificate being used
by a number of these foreign speaking
miners, nor of the interpreter answer
ing the questions for the applicant
when undergoing an examination, but
thought these things possible.
Il. A. Maloney, blacksmith, of Peck
Vile, told of the destitution being very
great in that neighborhood and also
said he had heard general complaint
among the miners about the docking
bosses.
Editor Richard ]. Beamish, of the
Free Press, was the next witness
called. In answer to Senator Mered-
ith's question. he said he knew from
personal investigation that the various
poor boards were subject to more calls
for relief than for many years When
asked as to the causes of the distress.
Mr.. Beamish said the first cause was
oVerproduction in former times. Then
again, he said. there We're too many
miners for the amount of work, and an
other cause. on which he laid great
stress, was the company store.
Mr.. Beamish was shown a newspa-
per article giving the prices paid for
ten staple articles in two West Side
stores, the one a company store and
the other a cash store. These goods
in the company store cost $1O.65 and
in the cash store 1914. Mr.. Beamish
thought that with the addition of about
so cents to the cash store prices, the
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