Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-18
THE LEHIGH co.
Files Its Statement With the
Strike Commission.
Pres. Mitchell Puts in Another Long
' Day on the Stand.
mistaken, Calm and Smiling Under
Wilcox's Questioning.

Philadelphia, Nov. 1.-THE statement
Of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co.
submitted to the anthracite coal strike
commission, now in session at Scrar-
ton, Pa. in answer to the demands OF
the miners, was made public here, sun
day. The answer reciteS the develop
ment of the company from the date OF
its charter in 1922, refers to the expense
of operation and to the comparatively
20 small profits, and declares the demands
of the employees for an increase oil ~
per cent. is unjustifiable. the reasons
given in support of the. demand not De
ing founded on fact. Accompanying
the statement are two exhibits. one
shows the earnings of the employees OF
the company for one year, based on the
time worked during 1901, the number Oh
,he several classes of workine.n ana the
rates paid according to the poy roll Tor
the first half of May. 1902 The other
is a catalogue over the acts charged 10
the striking employees of the company
= during the recent contest, the riots, as
saults and disturbances of various
kinds being numbered at upwards of Co.
The answer states: THE Lehigh Coal
and Navigation Co. is the oldest cor
poration engaged in the mining of coal
in the anthracite region. 1t was char
tered in 1922.
TT owns and controls about 14,G0p
acres of coal lands in Carbon and
Schuylkill countries; it's employees
number about 5000 and its capacity of
production is over 600 tons a month.
t1l
Z amount to upwards of $32,000,0C0. All
of its capital stock and bonds We're is
sued for full value. The dividends up
on its capital stock to date only
average 4O2 per cent. Nor were the
rates of freight upon the railroad eX-
orbitant as is shown by the fact that
the company operated its own canal
but found it advantageous to send the
coal to market over the railroad rather
than by the canal"
Referring to the claim of the miners
that better wages are paid in the
btuminous fieuds for substantially
similar work, the answer states:
This company does not know what
rate 70 wages is paid in the bituminouS
coal fie. throughout the country. but
there is nr,,here in any fields 'substan-
italy similar work TO that which is
done under contract in the mines Of
this company. 1t IS a fact, however.
that miners OF ordinary skill and eY-
perience have always been able to go
from the mines Of this company to any
other mining region throughout the
) country and obtain employment.
"In 1901 for day or 10 hours con-
tract miners earned an average of $3.14
per day; skilled laborers, $9.31; un-
skilled laborers, $1.S3; boys 81 for work
under ground. The rates for outside
labor average as follows: Skilled labor
ers, $1.96; unskiled labor. Sis; boys,
RI cents. The average annual earnings
of adults were $i7525.
Denial is made of the claim of the
miners that their earnings are INSULT
cient to maintain the American stand
ard of living and. concerning the en-
ployes of the Lehigh Coal and Naviga-
ton Co. these figures are given: out
of 30i3 families, $40 own their own
houses. Pianos will be found in LAG
and house organs i'll 337. The company
owns and rents to it's employees 61
houses at an average rental of $4.l5 a
month. The character of these houses
is fully up to the average in any part OF
the country occupied by any other class
of Workmen.
''The families of the employees have
ample school accommodations with
capable teachers and over 5000 children
are in attendance while over IS per
ceEtum of the whole fund expended in
the region is derived from taxes paid
by the company on its coal estate
Regarding the employment of boys
the statement says: Slate picking is a
very easy occupation compared to the
work done by the boy upon q farm.
Since 1887 more than $50 young men
nave gone from Lansford and other viii
lagos in the neighborhuod to normal
schools and colleges and become min
ing engineers, attorneys. chemists
dentists. architects, ministers and
priests.
Some Of the foreigners prefer to live
in very niggardly and squalid man.
ner. so that they may accumulate the
larger part of their earnings and re-
turn to Europe to live in idleness. But
those who have their permanent home
in the region have at least 81, 00O, 900 on
deposit saved from the wages earned
from the employment of this company
The annual remittances to their fami-
lies through agencies in the region and
vicinity. amounted to $50 900 or more"
During the strike OF 1900 in which the
employees OF the company declined to
participate, The company IL acknowl-
edgment of their cys.:y ro;:;.ioute
$4,000 to the miners os2ef, il, t&~a.
"Since then" the staten.A..- No..t:r.-
ues, most of them have poined III
union and felt bound to join in =.
strike when ordered last May. No
complaint was addressed to this COM
pary. no grievance alleged and no re-
quest for higher wages made; but,
without notice the men left work in a
body. against their own will and judg-