Evening journal., 1902-10-28
PREPARE
/. FOR commission
Arbitrators Will Visit Col
lieries and Stores in Be
ginning Investigation
CONDITION OF MINES BETTER

sion Will Begin Its Work at Scran-
ton---The Entire Anthracite Fields |
Will be Covered
Wllkesbarre, Oct eS.-The mine
workers are rushing preparations for
he tour OF the Strike Commission when
reaches this region thursday. Mich
Dis, district president, in charge of the
Scranton district, is arranging to have
he commissioners taken to several
miners villages, where they can in
jestigate the conditions under which
he miners live He will also try to
nave them visit the stores belonging to
companies and he independent stores.
They are also to go to the mines.
Washington, Oct 2S.-The anthra-
cite coal strike commission yesterday,
in the hearing room of the interstate
commerce commission. held its first
conference with the parties to the con-
troversy in the anthracite regions. The
commission occupied the elevated
seats, Judge Gray, as president occu-
pying the center seat, and Messrs.
Wright, Watkins and Clark the seats
30 the right Of him in the order named.
|while General Wilson, Bishop Spald-
Hing and Mr.. Parker sat on the left in
the order of their names The pro-
ceedings covered about two hours
time sAd were given up entirely to a
disc cdssion Of the time and method OF
proceeding with the proposed investi-
cation.
Mr.. -ditchell, president of the United
Mine Workers Of America, and Dis
trict President Fahey appeared for
the miners, and the coal carrying
roads were represented as follows:
Prl sident Baer, Of the Reading; z. B.
Thomas, Of the Pennsylvania Coal
Company; Alfred Walter, Of the Le-
high Valley; w. H. Truesdale. Of the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western;
David Wilcox, of the Delaware and
Hudson; John B. Herr. of the Scran-
& ton Coal Company; J. H. Torrey, at
torney for the Delaware and Hudson,
and Francis l. Gowan, attorney for the
Lehigh Valley Company.
To Begin Its Work at Scranton.
me commission decided to be-
gin its work Thursday morning at 0
o'clock. the first days of the investiga-
tion to be devoted to an examination
OF the mines and the homes OF the
miners, starting in the vicinity of
Scranton. The entire anthracite field
will be covered. There was consider
able discussion over a proposition
made by the commission to have ex-
pert accountants appointed to audit
statements Of wages and classification
of miners to be made by the operators
for the use of the commission, but no
result was reached on this point be-
yond the announcement by the chair
man of the commissions intention to
appoint such an accountant in case his
services should be found necessary.
During the progress OF the meeting,
Mr.. Mitchell. as the representative of
the miners, presented a copy OF the
original declaration of the miners as
formulated by the Shamokin conven-
tion, as the basis Of the demands Of
the miners. This demand is for an
increase Of 20 per cent. in wages OF
those not engaged by the day, a re-
duction Of 20 per cent. in working
hours Of those engaged by the day;
the payment for coal mined by weight
at a minimum rate of 60 cents per ton
of 2.24O pounds; a wage agreement be-
tween the operators and the miners for
an adjustment of wages.
Baer objects to Mitchell.
Mr.. Baer, on the part of the coal op-
orators, took exception to Mr.. Mitch
ellis appearance before the commits
sion as a representative of the Mine
Workers Union, but said that he had
no objection to his presence as a rep
resentative of the strikers as such in
their individual capacity. The com.
mission made no attempt to settle the
controversy but It was made apparent
that the recognition of the Miners
Union will be an important and knotty
problem for the arbitrators.
Preceding the discussion over open
ing the books to the experts. Mr
Baer said the operators would be pre-
pared to meet the miners in the region
and to assist in giving all information
Many of the individual operators are
not represented, and they were not
consulted and were not compromised
by the letter he had written.
Judge Gray suggested that they
could be represented. At the meeting
next Monday they would determine
which of the companies would be
taken up first, and the place of meet
ing could be determined by the loca
ri tion Of the coal company taken up.
# Mr.. Baer made point of saying thai
IS Continued on Fifth Page.