The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-19


! O. SO that the constitution recognizes
the propriety of paying for coal by meas
| uremcnt? A. No, you do not understand.
That Is not what 1t means at all The
word measure In there simply means
| tho correct method of measuring with a
| tape the amount of entry q man drives IN
| a. mine The miners believe that they
| were cheated in the matter OF measure.
mcnts in some mines. in that way, and
| that refers to the amount paid for driv-
| Ing entry work. or narrow work, as we
| call II here. IL was Intended that there
| should be u proper method of measuring
that. 1t did not refer to paving Tor the
coal by car. or anything Of that kind
| q. But still payment by the car Is pay
mcnt by measurement--perhaps not as
| YOU construe the constitutions, but 1t Is.
A. No. and I might say that that was
| also Intended to have application IN tne
| case of the thick VEINS where they ac-
tually pay by cubical or lineal measure
mcnt.
| Q. How many of the mines in the an
| thracite field are so equipped as to en-
able them to weigh the coal? A. You
mean with scales? @. Weigh It In any
way? A. l think that every mine in the
anthracite field in which the coal comes
to the breaker as 1t Is loaded by the
| miners. the coal could be paid for by
weight. @. I am not asking you Cat.
|
today are so equipped? A. ] don't know.
| ] understand that several of the COM
pnnes are weighing coal now. ! refer TO
| the Erie and some of the Others. y. DO
you now know that they are very
small proportion? a. Very small; yes,
sir O. And you do not know the ex-
| pense that would be entaied in adapting
the mines to the changed conditions? A.
I do not know how much 1t would be.
do not think it would be any very great
| amount q. Are you not aware That to
| do that in mines not originally adapted to
the method of Weighing would reduce the
| output of the colliery materially? "A. NO,
| sir. @. 1t would not hold back the load
| ing? A. I think very little The scales
may be placed at any place before the
coal reaches the breaker, and scales are
| now constructed so that car may be
| weighed while moving.
Matter of Topping.
O. Now Mr.. Mitchell I did not quite
clearly understand your objection to the
| method of paying by the car which is in
vogue in so many of the mines in this
| region. A. Well. there are many objec-
| tions to it, but there is one objection, in
particular that has caused a great deal
| of discomfort. and / understand n num-
! Der of local strikes. That is the rule
| that requires a man to have a certain
| reaches the breaker 1t may be no fault
| of the miners that it has not the re-
| quired amount of topping on it.
q. But is not that a matter of agree
! ment: that the miner is paid by the car
| with a topping Of six inches? And what
| difference does it make to the miner.
| supposing that the rate of pay is adjusted
accordingly. whether he loads the car to
| the top of the side or whether he loads
| it with six inches Of topping? What diff
| ference does it make to the miner? A. II
| the agreement with the company you rep
| resent was that there must be six Inches
of topping on the car when it reaches the
| breaker it Is absolutely impossible for the
! miner to tell how much coal he must put
| on the car when he loads it to make six
inches on it when 1t reaches the breaker.
| He may have put six inches on 1t in
good faith when it left the place he
| loaded it, but by reason Of the long haul.
and the rough haul. the shaving. and so
forth. or possibly. an accident en- route,
| that knocked the topping off or settled it
down. when it reached the breaker there
was not six inches on it, and then the
| miner is docked for light loading.
| @. Have YOU never heard of miners
| loading cars in such a way as to leave
an undue amount of space between the
Jumps? A. Yes sir. Q. You do not think
that is an impossible thing to be done?
understand it has been done. @. And
therefore If the coal We're started with
six inches topping. but reached the sur
face with no topping. do you not think
that is some indication that that coal was
improperly loaded? A. 1t might be- and
II might not be. -. But 1t might be! a.
ihe Nv, weighins system the miner worId
have no incentive to be dishonest. He
would not want to "crib" the car, as
the miners call that, because he would
be paid for the amount of coal he put
in the car
q. Now. Mr.. Mitchell take the case of
a car loaded in the way | have Indicated
80 that the topping has disappeared by
the time the car reaches the pits mouth.
the weight of the coal would he Just pre-
cisely the same in that car when it
started and when it reached the pits
mouth. would ii not? A. Yes sir g.
And under the weighing system he would
not be paid for any more coal than he
loaded? A. No, sir. q. Where would be
the advantage. then" A. Because he
would not be docked for the settling of
the coal enroute. and under the present
system he is docked if it is less than six
inches when it gets to the pits mouth.
q. Don't you agree that if he agrees to
load coal with six inches topping that he
ought to he docked If he does not do
it. A. How can he help. Q. Wait.
| say if he does not do it, I do not mean
a case where he thought he had done so.
a. But it is a physical impossiblity for
him when he loads it to say that it will
not settle. He may have put II foot of
topping on. FIe ought to be paid for the
amount he puts on.
Matter OF agreement
c. That is a matter of agreement. Is
not the agreement that he shall be paid