The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-17

=
: Witness: 1t will help matters very
= much, possibly, .if I explain how they
. make those scales. We have a delegate
. convention. lii which representatives Al.
tend from every local union, whicr
means evetv mine. They then select
scale committee. who are to formulate
the demands. Each delegate can appear
before that committee and tell them eS-
actlN what he thinks would be necessary
at the mine he represents so that the
committee have informant ton direct from
the employees OF the company.
After considerable questioning Mr..
MacNeagh succeeded ia getting MIR.
/ Mitchell to admit he did not know,
just then, what wages the Erie COM
pany paid its employees.
The First Demand.
o. Now. | say, as to- the first demand.
as To the increase of wages, whatever YOU
may be prepared to do this afternoon. you
are not prepared to ask for an Increase
OF those wages. because you do not know
what the present wages are?
A. Yes. sir. am perfectly prepared Ia
ask for an increase in wages. although
have not got the tables OF the present
earnings here. u.aughter,.
q. Well, | quite admit YOU can he pre-
pared to ask for them, but are you pre-
pared seriously to ask other responsible
|
A. Well. ! can only say that l have not
the statistics here to submit at this time.
! .. And therefore at present YOU are not
prepared to substantate that demand?
A. do not say that am not prepared.
except that am not prepared to state tho
figures as to the hillside aud Pennsyl-
rania Coal companies
q. And therefore at present you are not
prepared to substantate your demand?
A. Well. I should say simply that l am
not prepared to submit the evidence to
| substantiate 1t, that is all.
The remainder of the morning ses-
| sion was taken up in an examination
| of the witness regarding his claims that
mining conditions are substantially
similar in the anthracite and bitum-
| inous regions. Mr.. Mitchell admitted
that the demand for btuminous is
growing more rapidly than that for an
| thracite, but denied that btuminous
mines worked more steadily than an
! thracite mines.
| At the opening Of the afternoon ses-
| sion, Mr.. Mitchell made the following
| correction to his testimony of the morn
! ing, regarding the disposition Of the
| resolutions OF the Shamokn c0nven-
| tion:
| The Witness: Moved the four resou-
tions calling strikes at different collieries
on April 1st be referred to the three dis
| trict executive boards. Motion carried"
| These were the resolutions which had
been formally adopted. authorizing
strikes.
BY Mr.. Mcveagh:
Q. Before ! leave that question of the
btumnous market and the anthracts
| market. l would like to ask whether you
| are aware of the fact that substantially
| there is no market for anthracite coal for
| manufacturing purposes except the refuse
sizes. and that the whole market, the ex-
elusive market for anthracite coal of a
profitable kind Is for domestic purposes,
or largely so? A. I understand from the
statements of Mr. Baer that 40 per cent.
| of the coal is sold for steam and manu-
featuring purposes.
q: And that, you know, is. as he has
stated, of the sizes below the domestic
sizes? A. He so stated: YES, sir.
Comparison Of Wages.
q. You assumed to compare the wages
we are paying in our two companies with
the wages of bituminous miners in this
| state. | wish you would state to the COM
mission what the average earnings per
annum are of the men employed In a rep
resentative bitumnous mine in Pennsyl-
vania? A. / have tables prepared and in
course of preparation on that subject;
but they are not yet completed. ] have
here the wages paid the various classes of
by the Erie
q. Operated by what?
A. BY the Pennsylvania and the Hillside
Coal Companies. Q. But you have not tn.
rate of wages paid by any bituminous
mine in Pennsylvania? A. | have not the
tables with me, because they are not COM
peted. ! know. however. in general
way. the difference in the wages paid. =.
Then what do you say they are? A. They
are practically 80 per cent. greater in
the bituminous fields for the same classy
of workmen.
Q. Then your sixth reason is: 1.-The an
nual earnings of the mine workers are ir-
sufficient to maintain the American stand
ard of living? A. Yes, sir.
Q. Now. what percentage Of the miners
in our two collieries are American born"
A. / do not know.
q. What percentage OF them do YOU
believe wish to maintain what we call the
American Stndard of living? A. L believe
all of them do. O. What is the basis OF
that belief? of the workers at the Hill
side Coal and Iron company and the em-
ployeS of the Pennsylvania Coal COM
pany? a. ! have no special informa ton
as to any difference in the standard. or
he desire for standard of living In those
companies, as compared with the min.
workers generally.
Q. (ReadinsD Seventh. You say the
increased cost of living has made 1t i'm
possible 10 maintain a fair standard OF
living upon the basis of present wages.
and has not only prevented the mine
workers from securing any benefit from,
increased prosperity, bur has made their
condition poorer on account of it," A. Yes.
sir q. Did you formulate that reason" A.
Yes, sir. q. That was after you had
cured an advance Of 10 per cent. in 1909?
a. Yes, sir.
Fair Standard of Living.
.. And now what would you denne To
be - fair standard of living for the work
men employed about these two collieriesc
A. | should say that an income of six
hundred dollars IA year would permit them
to live in Il manner conformable TO Amer
lean standards. q. What do you believe
10 have been the earning capacity of the
foreign element who have come to these
mines from other lands? A. Their earn
ng capacity in their own countries? q.
Yes? A. | do not know =. Would you
be surprised to learn that 1T was less
han hundred dollars per annum? \.
Wen, 1t is possible that man on hun
ired dollars less would earn n hundred
lolars less in the country that he comes
%; IL is also true Q.You mean a hun,
ircd dollars less, but that the average
wages for such class OF labor as these
migrants perform I'm and about the mines
ioes not net them in the country from
which they come over n hundred dollars
ear? \. No, sir; | do not know that.
40. q, The anthracite mine worSers.,a
understand represent In all, about l41,-
O0 people? Have you ever calculated
What percentage that Is to the wage earn
rs of America. the men who are earning
heir living by manual labor? Would you
a1.s s1,Ttg lagas. hot ia,