The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-14
Say that Some Of the Anthracite Min
ers Who Went on Strike Have Not
Been Fairly Treated.
JOHN MITCHELL RECALLED
HIS COMPARATIVE STATEMENT RE-
GARDING WAGES DISPUTED.
Breaker Boy Who Received Only One
Cent a Month-AnOther Who Lost
Leg and Got Nothing.

fore the anthracite coal strike commission
to-day testified to the condition existing
at the colleries of the Philadelphia e. Read
ing Coal and Iron Company. These were
the first witnesses to appear against the
company Of which George T. Baer is the
head, and considerable interest was mani
| tested as to the character of the evidence
the miners would present against that COM
pany. Eight witnesses were called, and the
principal grievance presented was that
some men who went on strike have been
| Disseminated against.
There was a large number of other wit
nesses called during the two sessions, but
most of the testimony heard was of
cumulative nature, relating mostly to al
| legged unfair local conditions. Among the
witnesses heard was President Mitchell.
His testimony related principally to the
manners in which he computed the aver
| ages he gave yesterday, in which he
| showed that bituminous men received from
40 to so per cent. more wages than the an
thracite miners. Counsel for the Delaware
& Hudson disputed Mtchelrs method of
| arriving at the averages
The miners will close their case probably
on Monday, when the operators will open
| their side. The coal companies have de-
cided to present only one opening argu-
ment, and former Congressman Simon p.
Wolverton, leading counsel for the Reading
| Company, will make the joint opening
| statement.
| A breaker boy, ten years old. who was
| called this afternoon, said he received IS
| cents a day. Last month he received only
Is cents. the remainder being kept for rent
| by the Delaware & Hudson Company. He
said he knew of one boy who received only
1 cent in a month. When he applied for
work he misrepresented his age, but his
| mother has since given the company his
correct age. He Is still employed by the
company.
Practically the entire afternoon session
was taken up with the testimony OF men
| who have been employed by the
| Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron
! Company. The principal grievance COM
| that of discrimination. One man COM
planned that he was not getting regular
pay for repair work; another one said there
were two sizes of cars where he worked,
| and only one price for both; another, who
| lost his leg, complained that he was taken
| off light work and given heavy work, and
| that when he complained he was told that
| he must do 1t or get out The men who did
| not get work after the strike gave as the
company's reason that they took too
prominent part in the strike
On cross-examination 1t was brought out
that the general treatment of the
witnesses by the company was
| SOOu tACtpI Ill the instances COM
| planned of, and that there was some fric-
| ton between the men and the colliery SUI
| perintendent, of which John Veith, as gen.
eral mining superintendent, had no knowl-
| edge. In this connection a miner named
| William Grett, employed at the Silver
! Creek colliery. said he struck bad head
| ing and could earn very little money He
| complained to the foreman, but the latter
made no effort to improve matters
James Torrey, counsel for the Delaware
, q Hudson Company, presented the correct
ed summary of that company's figures to
| the commission. The figures handed i'm
| several days ago were found to contain
| errors made while clerks under great pres
sure were transcribing them The corrected
| figures, according to Mr.. Torrey, show that
| the Delaware 81 Hudson Company's wages
are considerably higher than those paid In
| the bituminous region. The Delaware &
| Hudson books and exhibits are absolutely
the exhibits are those to be filed with the
commission These were examined and
found correct on Dec. 4 and certified to by
James Warwick for the miners and A. B.
| Culver. controller of the Delaware & Hud-
son Company.
A life insurance agent was called and
gave the life insurance rate for miners and
persons in other occupations. The rates for
miners were very high.
The last witness of the day was a fifteen
year-old boy who lost a leg while working
in breaker owned by the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company He said he received
nothing for the loss of the limb.
Adjournment was taken at o'clock until
Monday morning. The miners expect to
finish their case on Monday.