The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-15


 It is not unlikely that Mir. Mitchell will | be on the stand all day tomorrow and | probably longer. It is the intention of the | miners to next call on Rev. Peter Rob- | erts of Mahaony City, who has an inti- | mate knowledge of anthratice mining and 1 the author of a book on the subject. Dur ing the hearing all the attorneys took | copious notes and 1t looks as if the in- | vestigation will be long drawn out unless 1 some arrangement for curtailing the cross-examination of witnesses is agreed upon.
 MT. Mitchell prefaced his statement with the hope that the commission would succeed in establishing relationship between the operators and the miners that will insure peace and stability in the industry for an indefinite period. After reciting the demands for increased pay for the miner. shorter work day for the laborer, the weighing of the coal and an industrial agreement the refusal of all of which led to the strike, MT. Mitchell spoke as follows on the question of higher ges:
 ..Of the 147,O00 men and boys employed in and around the mines, strippings, washeries and breakers in the anthracite coal fields 64072, or 43 per cent. are em- ployed on contract, on piece work; the remaining Ss.O00. or 57 per cent, are em- ployed by the hour day, week or month Of the 64,072 contract men, T,S04 are miners and 26,268 are miners laborers.
 Dangerous Work.
 'The work of miner and miners labor CT is extremely hazardous; in fact, 1t Is more dangerous than employment in any other important industry in the world. Each day the anthracite coal mines are in operation 2.6 persons lose their lives and three times as many are maimed, and yet these men receive less wages annually than are received by men performing pre- cisely similar work in other fields under more favorable and less hazardous con- ditions. The number of years a man can retain his health and strength in this oc- cupation is limited. If he escape death or injury by fall of rock or coal he cannot escape attacks of miners asthma There is scarcely a mine worker who has not contracted this malady. The miners are compelled to work in powder rooms, pow der smoke, In foul air, many of them in water, and their work is difficult and ex- hausting Reputable insurance compan- ies will not issue policies to this class or workmen. The risks arc so great that the premiums would be prohibitlye to men whose earnings are so low. The en- tire 20 per cent which they demand as an increase in the wages would not sunlee to carry an insurance of 5000.
 s'It seems but fair and just that wages paid these classes of workmen should be as high, If not higher than wages paid to skilled artisans in other industries. It is certainly not unjust to ask that these miners should receive as high wages as are paid to miners in the bituminous coal fields, in the silver and gold mines or the iron ore or copper mines, all of which are less hazardous, freer from liability to disease, requiring less experi- ence and less skill and Is better paid than labor in the anthracite coal fields"
 'The reports of the United States geo. logical survey demonstrate that more coal has been produced annually since the inauguration of the eight-hour work day than in any preceding year. Each miner produced more coal per working day in eight hours than he formerly pro- duced in ten hours, and there Is no req son why the same results would not be obtained in the anthracite field. The bic luminous workers receive in many in- stances from 20 to 40 per cent higher wages for eight hours york than are paid in the anthracite mines for ten hours work
 The Mine Workers.
 "As to the responsibility of the mine workers organization, MT. Mitchell said: At the present time the United Mine Workers of America has contracts with the operators of fourteen states and dis tricts, fixing the amount the miners shall receive per ton, the amount the various classes of labor shall receive per day, the number of hours which shall constitute a days work, and the methods and ma chinery for the adjustment of coal griev- ances by joint conference with the mine owners These are mutual contracts which are advantageous to both miner and operator and protect the public against the effects of strikes or lockouts The reports of the United States govern- ment on strikes in the mining industry show that number and duration of strikes has been materially reduced each year since the system of joint conference and mutual agreement has been introduced
 Where the United Mine Workers of America is recognized and contracted with, 1t assumes the responsibility of discipling it's members The local trade has proved effective in restraining from engaging in local or general strikes. There have been no strikes of any magnitude in any of the coal mining states in which trades agreements exist. We seek to establish the same method of adjusting wage diff ferences in the anthracite field.
 Tt is said that the competition between anthracite and bituminous coal Is req son upon which the anthracite operators oppose a recognition of the minres organ ization. That this objection Is neither valid nor consistent is clearly dernonstra- ted by the fact that many of the railroads officered by the same men who control the anthracite coal mines enter into trade agreements with railroad organizations, a majority of whose members are employed upon other and competing roads,
 Recognition Demanded.
 ''We demand recognition because we know that permanent peace and friendly relations can be best maintained through a trade agreement with the organization lat toH Io.r faA f0 104., Fully 90 per cent of the employees of the anthracite coal miners are members of 1t from choice, they desire to retain their membership in it. It was the United Mine Workers of America that conferred with the President of the United States of the relation to the submission of the issues involved in the coal strike to this com fod