The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-16
SHOCKED THE BOARD
TO LEARN HOW CHILDREN WORK
IN PENNSYLVANIA.
GIRL THIRTEEN YEARS OLD
WORKS TWELVE HOURS AT NIGHT
IN A SILK MILL.

brought Ont During the Sessions OF
Coal Strike COmmissiOn-Chairm
Gray's Caustic Criticism Mine
workers Have Adduced About All
Their acknowledgements From
the CommissiOn-Man Who Can't
Pay Fair Wages should Get out of
Business.
Scranton, Pa. Dec. 1.-THE mine
workers, after occupying nineteen days
in presenting about 100 witnesses.
closed their case before the Anthra-
cite Coal Strike Commission late this
afternoon. excepting that they will call
one important witness tomorrow
morning.
The afternoon session was one of the
most important sittings the commits
sion has yet held, because the question
of whether the close relationship of
the coal-carrying railroads with the
mining companies shall figure in the
commissions effort to adjust the con-
troversy, came squarely before the ar
bitrators. The decision of the COM
mission, if Chairman Gray's remarks
can be so called. was, briefly, this;
That the commission, in a general
way, is averse to widening the scope
of the investigation beyond the terms
of the submissions of the miners and
the operators; that in carrying on the
investigation it assumes the coal COM
panies can afford to pay fair wages,
8 Col,
wages, the employer ought to get out
of it.
The mine workers depended a great
deal on the evidence they had to pres
sent to show that the coal-carrying
railroads control the coal companies,
and that the railroads charge eXorbit
ant and discriminating freight rates,
thus greatly decreasing the revenues of
the mining properties. The miners
wanted to present this evidence in doc
umentary form, but as objection was
made to it and sustained by the COM
mission with the above rulings, the
matter was not pressed.
Several little girls employed in silk
mills were called to the witness stand
during the day. and as a result Chair
man Gray plainly gave his opinion of
parents, who send their children to
work at a tender age. Annie Denks,
aged 13 years, said she worked at night
from $50 o'clock until $50 in the
morning. She had to stand up all night
during her work and received 65 cents
a night.
When the girl said she was employ
ed at night every member of the COM
mission seemed to be shocked. Judge
Gray appeared especially indignant.
He asked her where her father work
ed, and she told him in the mines. The
girl also told the number of persons in
the family, and finally Judge Gray said
he would like to see the father.
II would like to see the fathers of
these girls" he repeated. ''It may be
a necessity to send them to the mills,
but l don't think father has a right
10 coin the flesh and blood of his chill
dren into money. It's an outrage.
would like to see what instincts he
has"
The chairman of the commission
spoke with much feeling and his views
apparently received the approval of
the other commissioners.
Mr.. barrow, for the miners, said it
was not altogether the fault of the
parents, but the employers are to
blame for not paying wages enough
to permit a man to keep his children
in school.
Judge Gray replied: "That may be,
but there are miners who receive
enough pay to enable them to keep
their children out of the workhouse."
Judge Gray inquired as to the law
in Pennsylvania regarding child labor
at night One statute was found which
partially covered the case, and the
chairman remarked that it seemed as
though the statutes of Pennsylvania
In this part of the state do not seem
IN h0+bar apuopa