Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-18
SESSION WAS LIVELY
Operators Open Their Case
 Before Commission.
RECOGNITION OF UNION NOT AN ISSUE
Counsel For Coal Companies Makes This Point In Opening Address. Unfairness of Wage Statements
 Shown by New Testimony.


 Shown by New Testimony.
 SCRANTON, Pa, Dec. 18.-The an thracite coal operators opened their side of the controversy with the mine workers yesterday before the strike commission, and the attorneys who are on record before the commission as representing the nonunion men, who have been admitted to the arbitration scheme, began calling witnesses. The sessions were probably the iveliest yet held by the commission.
 At the morning session the miners lawyers challenged the fairness of cer- tain wage statements handed to the commission by the Pennsylvania Coal company, and in the afternoon Lawyer Darrow had a spirited discussion, with Chairman Gray as to whether or not the miners had right to know who is paying the lawyers representing the nOnunion men before the commission. MT. Darrow asserted that they were employed by the coal operators.
 Preceding this Simon F. Wolverton, counsel for the Reading company, who delivered the opening address on behalf
 
 the point in his address that the recog- milton of the union is not an issue be- fore the commission which brought out protest from Mr. Darrow. The latter claimed that if it were not then the operators should be forbidden from presenting testimony that tended to show the union was responsible for all the alleged violence committed during the strike
 The alleged unfairness of the wage statements came to the notice of the commission as result of it's inquiry into the child labor question in this vicinity. Several little girls testified on Monday that they worked all night in a silk mill in order to help their ia thers along, who were employed in the mines and received poor pay. Tuesday Everett Warren, who represents the Erie company, which controls the Pennsylvania Coal company, in whose mines some of these fathers worked, handed to the commission memoran- dunn showing that one father last year received about S1, 400 for himself and laborer and that the other father re- ceived $1,600 for himself and laborer.
 At the opening of the session yester- day the miners placed the two parents on the stand, and they swOre that the earnings mentioned were divided among from four to six men. This tes- timony surprised the commissioners, and Judge Gray asked if the figures on the memorandum were taken from the wage statement already flied by the company with the commission, and MT. Warren replied in the affirmative.
 Chairman Gray then requested coun- sel for the company to indicate in it's statement handed up whether the fig llres given are for one, two or more men.
 We don't say it shakes our faith in the statement" he continued. Unless you can show, however, that there are none of these cases. such as are sug- gested by this testimony, it will very materially shake CUT faith in it.
 The company, through it's general manager, ". A. May, was permitted to make a statement. He said: .sThe Pennsylvania Coal company has two systems, one where four men work in a place and known as four handed place, and another in which there are only two men and known as a two handed place. There may be places where only one man works, and there may be places where there are four men working, but the fact is not known to the company itself. The company does not keep a record of the individuals in contract or the num- Der. It only keeps the name of the man i'll whose name the place is run"