The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-12
REFUSED TO Be EXACT
BUT GIVES AN AVERAGE
Attorneys for Miners Announce That
They viii Close Their Case Sat
urday-No Interruption of
Proceedings Expected.

| Scranton, Pa, December u.-Represen-
| tatives of the miners before the anthra-
| cite coal strike commission today called
L. N. Crawford, one of the independent
operators, to the witness stand to tell
the exact price he received for his coal.
| Crawford who is president of the Peo-
ple's Coal company refused, giving In
stead an average of the price. The re-
quest for Crawford to take the stard
was a surprise. The Oxford colliery cur
ing the strike managed to GET enough
men to operate the plant. and for one
month, according to Crawford, his COM
pany received $50 ton for its coal OBJ
lection was raised by the operators law
yers, and the commission said that the
exceptionally high price of coal during
the strike was not pertinent to the pres
ent inquiry.
The miners announced rftat they ex-
pected to close their case saturday, and
thus gave notice to the other side to be
ready to proceed with their testimony.
The companies attorneys announced
that they may have to ask for short
recess in order to properly prepare their
case
No interruption Expected.
Judge Gray said he supposed there
would be no interruption in the proceed
ings, and that the companies will be able
to proceed as soon as the miners have
concluded their case. From the large
number of witnesses yet to be called by
the miners 1t is not likely they will finish
on Saturday. Nearly the entire day was
taken up in hearing witnesses who had
some specific complaint to make, among
ether things the price paid per mine car
and the size of the cars. AS soon as the
afternoon session began, Mr.. Darrow,with
the permission of the commission, re-
quested Mr.. Crawford, who was on the
stand, to produce before the commission
the last bill of sale he had In his possess
sion. Mr.. Crawford did nor think 1t
necessary to bring THE bill before the
commission.
Two witnesses employed by the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western COM
pany were then called, and each testified
that before the strike of 1900 the men
when they worked received "a cents a car
and that the strike was ended by the
company agreeing to give the men an
increase in wages of 10 per cent, 21k in
| cash and the other 7i5 per cent to be
| cOnSluereu IN Ine feQucIlOn OF Lle price
! of powder Instead of receiving the in
crease they now get three cents car less,
or 81 cents. They did not know why II
was reduced.
Cross-Examlnation
In cross-examination the company pro-
duced the figures which showed that one
of the witnesses earned an average of
$425 day for seventeen days worked in
November. The witness said he went into
the mines twenty-five days during the
month One of the same witnesses hand
ed In a statement which was given him
some time ago by the mine superintend-
ent showing that there were seven sizes
of mine cars at the colliery where he
worked. The witness said the same
Patrick OBoyle, a miner gave tho
history of the increase in the size OF
the miners ton from 224O pounds to S136.
He said twenty-five years ago. sizes un-
der pea coal were not used, and there
fore, 1t was dumped on the refuse pile.
and the ton raised to 3136 In order that
the companies could get out 2240 pounds
of marketable coal. At present the COM
panies are using coal three or four sizes
under pea, and the men are not being
paid for it.
John William Griffith, superintendent OF
schools at Nanticoke. near Wilkesbarre,
was called to the stand to show that
miners children don't go as high in tho
school grades as the children of other
| parents.