New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-21

where insisted upon returning to this region
after the strike ended.
Their social ties family ties and property
drew them back"
Dr. Roberts admitted that he could not COM
pare the capacity for work of laboring men in
other parts of the country with that of the
miners. and he then led to speak of the
number of holidays in year, and the length
of time the mine workers remain from work.
He said there were fifteen church holidays Mr..
Wolverton stated that there were other Holt
days. and also circus and county fair days, when
the boys remained away from work.
On the question OF accidents some time was
spent. The operators claim that most Of them
are due 10 carelessness of the mine workers.
and that conditions in the mines have greatly
improved I'm the last twenty years. and me
safety of the men is looked after more carefully
than ever before. Mr.. Roberts would not admit
that carelessness caused 80 per cent of the acct
dents, and said that he could not fix the figure;
but he made the point that the nature of the
work compelled the men to take risks. and that
they could not always be most careful.
Mr.. Wolverton asked: Us not the effect Of the
organization of the United Mine Workers to
create illfeeling between the union and the
non-union men. and to create antagonsm such
as did not exist before they came into the re-
here?"
Dr. Roberts said. 4 think your statement
may be true"
CONDITIONS GOVERNING WAGES.
DR. Roberts admitted, after questioning. that
there are limits to the wages that can be paid
to the anthracite miner and the amount to which
they be increased, governed by the con-
ditions of trade. by the competency of the men,
the amount of money invested and many other
conditions that govern the regulating OF the
amount OF wages that can be paid in the
thracite region.
After reading long list of outrages and com
ments upon them from the article in The Out
look whose authorship DR.. Roberts did not
deny, Mr.. Wolverton asked if the making of
contracts with local unions, which exist in the
Southern district, would not place the control
of the organization in the hands of Slavs, who
have no respect for persons or property. DR..
Roberts said that he did not admit that the
ganization is controlled by Slavs, only about
81 per cent of the mine workers are of that
nationality.
A list of more outrages followed, and DR..
Roberts said:
las to the wrongs committed by the union
I call that a mistake: and you will find that
some of the cases you refer to as outrages were
perpetrated by a gang Of desperadoes, and the
sandbaggng was afterward shown 10 have been
done by crowd of young men not belonging to
the mine regions
Before the examination ended DR.. Roberts ex-
planned that until three weeks ago he had
never met and never seen Mr. Mitchell but that
in view of his knowledge OF the coal regions the
mine workers had asked him If he would not
kindly aid them in presenting their case, and
he agreed.
Mr.. Woiverton expressed the operators view
of the testimony in pointed sentence: You
have written a good book and we thank YOU
for IT," he said.
The cross-examination was taken up by
Messrs Wilcox, of the Delaware and Hudson;
Gowen, Of the Lehigh Valley, and Warren. Of
the Erie. Commissioner Parker also asked the
witness regarding certain feature of his testi-
mony. He said that in Olyrhant he found
twenty-four boys beneath the legal age in the
breaker and eight inside the colliery. Mr.. Par
ker wanted TO know if these Youngsters had
fathers living and working. Dr. Roberts said
that about 80 per cent had. and the others aid
ed in supporting widowed mothers.
EVIDENCE FROM PHYSICIANS.
The physicians followed. DR.. John OMaly
OF Scranton, being the first. He has had nine
teen years practice among the mine workers
He said the miners subjected TO asthma
catarrh, rheumatism, stomach trouble. anaemla
and palptation of the heart and of the acute
diseases pneumonia and typhoid fever He said
miners asthma was caused bv the inhaIation
OF powder smoke, dust and Vitiated air The dust
settled in the bronchial tubes and became ir-
ritant; the lungs in post norton are very black
and look like piece of anthracite coal. Some
times five years after leaving the mines the
patients spit out coal dust The fatality is light
but the conditions induce acute diseases He
said that few who work where the mine dust is
in the air escape the prevalent miners asthma
He was asked by Mr. Torrey on cross-ex-
animation IL Whooping cough patients were not
taken into the mines for treatment and he said
he would not recommend it; he denied that
asthma protected the patient from consumption
as Mr.. Torrey suggested.
DR.. Frank p. Lenahan. of Wilkesbarre, who
has had a long connection with hospitals there
said that the coal companies have contributed
to the two in that city only per cent of the
total funds, and that in FIVE years they have
given to the Mercy Hospital. where the ex
penses are $4,000 a year. only 1915. There are
now in these hospitals 1874 patients. so per
cent OF whom are mine workers The hospital
capacity of LuZerne County, DR.. Lenahan
stated is far inadequate. and chronic cases, Of
which there many among the miners. must
in consequence be refused admission. He de
clared that 80 per cent of the miners who reach
fifty years afflicted with rheumatism of the
people in the Retreat Poorhouse. he found 20
per cent Of the males mine workers, and 66 per
cent OF the females those who had been de-
pendent upon mine workers for a living. He
estimated the average working life of a miner
AT between twenty and twenty-five years.
would you be surprised TO learn" said Com
missioner Wright, that the average life OF a
| railroad brakeman seven years?"
| i should be-" said DR.. Lenahan, but l would
| rather take the seven years of the brakeman's
me- with its health. than the miners life. with
| Its pains and dscomforts''
Or. Richard NJ. Gibbons of Scranton was nut