Evening star., 1899-04-15
INDUSTRIAL INQUIRY AN INVESTIGATION
Testimony Given Before the Com Studying Scandal in the Patent
| mission This Morning Omce
How MINERS CONTROL STRIKES CHARGES AGAINST Two OFFICIALS
Company Tenemen Come Examiner Hans and Mrs. Robinson
for Condemnation Make Statements
WEEKLY PAYMENTS ADVISED DENIAL RUMORS
Testimony Given Before the Com
mission This Morning.
how MINERS CONTROL STRIKES
Company Tenements Come in
for Condemnation.
WEEKLY PAYMENTS ADVISED

Mr.. Thomas W. Davis, vice president Of
the United Mine Workers of Amsrica, con-
tinued his testimony before the industrial
commission this morning at the Bliss build
ing.
Mr.. Davis had known but one case in
which a boycott had been used in the coal
business. The result Of the boycott had
been Indifferent. The places Of distribution
are so far removerd from the scene of pro-
duction that it was difficult to effect boy
colt. He did not believe in ever using the
boycott except in extreme cases in which
employers denied audience and redress of
grievances.
when our organization is on strike" he
said, lit uses all the means in Its power to
influence the result. Our ability to shut off
the supply of coal is the method of being
methods of persuasion to keep men from
mining coal"
Miners Asthma.
Miners asthma was a disease peculiar
to those who work under ground and proves
fatal in many cases. The effect of work in
the mines on health varies in different
cases. In his own case he had begun such
work before he was nine years of age and
continued IN Sucn employment IOr twenty
five years when his lungs were considera-
bly, affected. Other boys who had gone in
the mines were still at work there and ap-
parently their physical condition was good.
He believed in the enactment of law to
prevent importing contract laborers from
one state to another to take the place of
strikers if such a law would be constitu-
tional He thought the same reason that
made it desirable to prevent contract labor
from abroad prevailed to prevent such i'm
portatiOns from one state to another.
Compulsory arbitration appeared to him
to be favorable under certain conditions.
He objected to the injunction in cases of
strikes.
Favored Weekly Payments.
Speaking of methods of payments at the
mines he favored weekly payments, and
did not believe that such payments would
cause miners to spend their money more
frequently than would be the case if their
wages were received less frequently.
Company Tenements Condemned.
He had only condemnation for a mining
company's tenements. The tenements were
poor and the rents were high. The best
homes he knew of for miners We're in the
anthracite region of Pennsylvania AS a
rule 81 room is charged as rent for a
four or f1ve-room habitation.
He was not prepared to say whether the
social condition of the miners is better or
worse than 1t was thirty years ago. The
production of convicts should not come into
competition with the product Of laboring
men.
Machinery had been introduced in the
mines to increase the profits and to lessen
the possibility of strikes. The machine had
resulted in cheapening the product, but the
benefit had not been secured by the op-
orator for the reason that the price Of
coal had been cut and the consumer had
reaped the advantage of the cheaper pro-
duction. Wherever the machine has been
introduced in mines the number of miners
employed has been reduced from 80 to so
per cent
He thought it would be well to have Leg
islation on the eight-hour day, but his
organization had by its own power been
able TO secure it for themselves. 49,