Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-12
THE COST OF COAL.
Independent Operator Crawford
Refuses to Give il.
Calmly Intimates That It Is None Of
Commissions Business.
And Thousands Of People Are Suffer-
ing for Lack Of Coal.

Scranton. Pa. Dec. 11.-Counsel fol-
the miners surprised the coal com
paaies at the opening of today's pro.
lceedings before the strike commission
by calling to the witness stand j. l.
Crawford. prominent independent
Operator. He is president of the Peo-
pies Coal Co. which operates the OK
ford colliery of Scranton. He has beer
ATTENDING the sessions daily.
when did you ship coal last?" Mr.
barrow asked. Yesterday"
What are you getting for it?' 81
don't know exactly"
"Can you come near it?" Il can ii
II want to-"
Don't you want tor" mo, sir"
"You are a party to this commission
and went to New York to see the coal
lpresidents?" Yes. SIR
''Then you refuse to give this COM
mission that infOrmation?'' Il don't
think l am compelled to tell"
Which road do you sell tor" Della
ware. Lackawanna & Western
What do you get for it?' about
.65 per cent. OF what the Delaware.
|Lackawanna & Western gets for it"
Attorneys for the operators objected
to any further questions as to what
ia company's profits were. whereupon
Mr.. barrow said that he called the
panies were able to pay wages asked
for in advance.
Wayne MacVeag in his cross-exam-
ination of Mr.. Mitchell. he explained,
intimated that an increase if granted
would ultimately be borne by the poor
and be wanted to show that the com.
panies were well able to give the in
crease asked for without putting the
burden on the poor. Mr.. barrow con-
tinued the examinations:
How many tons do you produce n
day." Mine hundred to 1000 TONS
And you don't know how much you
get for it?' II can give an estimate
We'll, what it is?' About $3.50 a
ton"
On further examination Mr.. Crawford
said that during the latter part of the
strike his colliery was in operation and
he got $40 ton for his coal.
Chairman Gray stopped the exami-
nation here by saying that the excep-
tionally high prices prevalent during
the strike were not pertinent to the in
quiry.
Several witnesses testified as ito acci-
dents at the colleries of the A. Pardee
Co, in the HaZelton mines. One. boy.
said that he lost leg in the mines. He
received no compensation for its loss.
he declared, but instead when he re-
turned to work the company took out
of mis- wages his fathers debt.
Mr.. barrow announced that the min
ers expect to close their case. this week.
and the other side ought to be ready,
next week.
The companies attorneys said that
they desired a short recess after the
miners close, to complete the prepara-
ton of their case.
Chairman Gray said he hoped there
would be no interruption in the ses-
sionS.
Three employees i'm the mines of Della
ware, Lackawanna & Western Com
pany testified to the sizes of the cars at
it's collieries. They asserted that the
cars sizes were increased without cor
responding increase in pay. The COM
pany maintained that this grievance
was adjusted but this the men deny.
Rev. J. j. O'DOnnell. priest at Oily
plant testified that the mine workers Of
his town were. generally speaking. law
abiding and that there was very little
violence. He sympathiZed with the
men, he said, because he believed their
cause was just and that they had done
everything honorable to avoid the
strike.