The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1902-12-17
MINERS CASE CLOSED.
Judge Cray Says a Business
Must Pay Fair Wages.
Miners Counsel EndeaVored to Show
That Mining Companies Are Con.
trolled by aisroads-Read Reports
Of Legislative Investigations - Mr.
Wolverton Opens For Operators.

trolled by Rai,roads-Read Reports
Of Legislative Investigations - Mr.
Wolverton Opens For Operators.
Scranton, Dec. 16-The mine work
ers, after occupying 10 days in pre-
senting about 100 witnesses, practi.
cally closed their case before the an
thracite coal strike commission yes
terday afternoon. They will conclude
by calling one important witness 10
day.
The afternoon session was one of the
most important sittings the commits.
sion has yet held because the question
Of whether the close relationship of
the coal carrying railroads with the
mining companies shall figure in the
commissions effort to adjust the con-
troversy came squarely before the ar
bitrators.
The decision of the commission, if
Chairman Gray's remarks can be so
called, was briefly this: that the COM
mission, in a general way, is adverse
to widening the scope of the investi
cation beyond the terms of the sub
missions of the miners and the oper-
ators; that in carrying on the investi
cation it assumes the coal companies
can afford to pay fair wages; that If
the coal companies, in presenting their
side Of the case, maintain they can
not afford to give an increase in wages,
then the commission will hear what
the miners have to say on the ability
Of the companies to do so, and that If
a business cannot pay fair wages the
empcyer ought to get out of It,
These points were brought out dur
ing the two hours consumed by the
miners lawyers reaiing documentary
evidence, to the whole of which the
coal companies entered specific and
general objections.
Railroads Control Coal Companies.
The mine workers depended a great
deal on the evidence they had to pre-.
sent to show that the coal carrying
railroads control the coal companies
and that the railroads charge exor-
bitant and discriminating freight
rates, thus greatly decreasing the rev.
enues Of the mining properties.
The miners wanted to present this
evidence in documentary form, but as
objection was made to it and sus.
tanned by the commission with the
above rulings the matter was not
pressed.
The early part of the afternoon ses-
sion was taken up in hearing the test
imony of the remaining witnesses
who are or have been in the employ of
the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and
Iron company, after which Mr.. Oar
row announced the close of his case
excepting that he would call one wit
ness today on a matter entirely different
from anything that has been offered.
For the remainder of the afternoon
ne presented documentary evidence
which he said showed the relation
ship between the railroads and the
companies and numerous other mat
ters pertaining to the anthracite coal
industry.
Mr.. Lloyd read syllabus of the
documentary evidence the miners
counsel had to present. He said:
For the purpose of connecting tie
present facts with the past, we offer
evidence of the causes, character and |
results of the combination, both of |
labor and capital, in the anthracite |
coal industry; the profits of the busi-
ness both of mining and transporta-
tion; the relations of the transporta-
tion companies to operators and min
ers, and the economic, political and
social consequences that have re-
suited. This evidence we obtained
from the reports of the various legis-
lative Investigations by the states of
New York and Pennsylvania and by
congress from 1871 to the present
time"
Monopoly In Anthracite Industry.
He read several reports of legislative
and congressional investigations Of
the mining industry, and followed this
up by reading from financial and trade
journals reports of the roads and mine
and public announcement Of
financial institutions to show that 4
monopoly exists in the anthracite in
iustry. He submitted five points in
evidence to prove it as follows:
1. The ownership by certain rail
roads Of extensive mining properties
IN the anthracite fields.
2. That men who are directors in
,ne mining company are members of
boards of directors of other railroad
md mining companies.
3. Joint resistance Of the coal carry
ng railroads to the individual oper-
ltors building an independent railroad
o carry their product at reasonable
'ates
4. The community of interests Of
he coal carrying railroads and their
mining companies.
5. Constant acquisition of additional
lnmined coal by the coal carrying
ailroads.
This brought Mr.. Lloyd up to the
,oint where he wanted to show the
xorbitant freight rates charged by the
ami a specific objection was
promptly enterei by Mr.. Wolverton.
for the Reading company.
At Judge Gray's suggestion Mr..
lloyd began to present evidence r.
atlng to the profits Of the coal carry
NC railroads and the mining compan