The sun., 1902-11-21

Written That Violence and the Hoy colt
Were the chief weapons Of the strikers
Said When Children Under Twelve
We're Employ ed Their Parents " Were Per-
Jurers-Admitted III Treat ment Of Non.
Union Men--Didnt Approve Caiiing Out
tie steam Men-The Operators Pleased.
SCRANTON. Pa, Nov. &c. Whatever hopes
the coal miners may have cher ished that
the evidence Of their mining expert. the
Rev. Peter Roberts. would be of great
benefit u them before the anthracite strike
commission was dissipated to-day when
the counsel for the operators oh cross
examination, by reading from the book
written by Mr.. Roberts and by reference
70 articles that he wrote for recent editi
OF the Outlook on the strike situat ion and
conditions. forced him TO fatty contradict
himself This contradiction was 10 the
extent that IL showed that Mr. Roberts
either testified falsely when on the witness
stand on Wednesday or else the art icles
that he printed in his book or in the outlook
were inaccurate or misleading.
The operators and their counsel were
highly elated over the Roberts flasco and
1t is intimated that they expect to pick to
pieces just as thoroughly other witnesses
0Pou WuOIH tUc IIlHtIS are TtlNlIK
The redirect examination of Dr. Roberts
was interrupted this afternoon to enable
Mr. Dsrrow to examine physicians who
had been summoned to testify and who
were anxious to get away. Three were
called to the stand during the afternoon
and examined and cross-examined as to
the diseases to which miners are subject,
chronic and otherwise, and the alleged
unhealthy nature Of the vocation
The cross-examination Of DR.. Roberts
by Mr.. Wolverton during the morning
was aimed at forcing him to show the con-
tradictions between his testimony and
articles that he has written. and to induce
him TO declare that uniform wage scale.
or ton system of payment, is imprac-
ticable. Mr.. Wolverton took up the matter
of the allowance that the companies make
TO the miner when the latter, In driving
Gangway or breast. come to material that
has to be removed and which was not con-
templated in the arrangement originally
made between the miner and the foreman
The question was whether the allowance
was not enough 10 enable the miner TO make
fair days pay.
The witness said that the rule Is that
sufficient allowance shall be made. in a
the men do not get the allowance. They
make frequent complaints regarding this
The witness admitted that every miner
likes his allowance and generally thinks
that he does not get enough
TrIE ADJUSTMENT OF WAGES
The witness was asked how he would
arrive at an advance of wages OF 20 per
cent, in view of the statement in his book
that conditions In the mines vary 40 much
that contracts are continually changed
from month to month One month the
miner may get 81 so a yard and the next
month, owing to changed conditions 81
a yard. Upon what basis would he add
q 20 per cent. advance to agreements Of
this kind?
The witness answered that he under
stood that in all the mines of the southern
coal fields there is a certain fixed rate paid
to miners and he did not see why 20 per
cent could not be added to this just the
same as TO any other kind of labor The
witness went on TO admit that there were
conditions that varied so much that they
could only be adjusted by an agreement
between the miners and the companies;
but he thought that where conditions were
uniform there could be paid uniform
scale. He said that he knew of fair men
among the operators and he knew the
other kind.
According 10 DR.. Roberts the complaints
that led to the calling of the recent long
strike at Hazleton came mainly from the
northern field. The men in the southe III
field differed. Some said that there were
grievances, others said that there were
none. but a II said that they would stand by
their brethren. The witness said that
he understood that there were dssensions
among the Mine Workers themselves,
between the miners and the helpers. The
helper said that the miner left him at all
unreasonable hour and imposed upon him
the whole of the labor.
An extract was read from an art icle
that DR.. Roberts had written for the Yale
Rerier. In this DR.. Roberts spoke Of the
fact that the laborers were attempting
TO form an Independent organization.
The witness said that he had since learned
that the men Interested in this were nom
union.
The witness was asked why II was II
the wages were better in the bituminous
region as had been said that the miners
who went to the soft coal region to obtain
employment returned here as soon as work
was resumed at the mines. The witness
thought that IL was because Of social and
home ties. Asked If the business Of mining
was not made hazardous unnecessarily
and II a majority of the accidents were
not due to carelessness on the part Of the
employee the witness said that that was
the opinion Of the inspectors, but that the
business was hazardous. In this connec-
ton the witness said that the inspecto ors
generally had to rely upon the foreman
for their facts and the foremen we're biassa
In favor Of the operators for whom they
worked. Many OF the accidents were
witnessed by no one and no one could say
Just what the exact cause was.
SOLDIER DIsoRIMINATED AGAINST.
Mr.. Wolverton here read an extract
from an article that the witness had written
for the Outlook. In this article DR. Roberts
said that when a member OF the Thirteenth
Regiment went TO work In one OF the Lack
awanna collieries a corrmittee OF the union
went to the foreman and asked him to dis
charge the man. When the foreman re-
fused to do 30 the men went out on strike
In another region, Mr.. Roberts said, If
miner does not belong to the union the driver
bows will not give him any cars. In one
instance a driver boy refused to take cars
TO q miner who was old enough to be his
grandfather, and told the miner he was a
non-union man and that he could take his
tools out, for he would not bring any cars
TO him. The miner called the foreman's
attention TO the matter, and the foreman
told the boy that he might IA well give the
boy the management OF the mine and he
would quit.
Mr.. Woverton then read statement
from Mr. Roberts's book. that the United
NftcA Workava of marion ia nm h. bound