Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-18
JUCCLE WITH MINERS WAGES
Operators Present Misleading Figures to
Goal Strike Commission.
COMPANIES ASK THAT UNION Be BARRED
Claim I'm Opening that Recognition Of
Mems Organization Il Not an
Issue Under Terms of Ref
erence TO A~rbitratOrs.

SCRANTON, Pa, Dec. 1.-THE operators
opened their case today before the strike
commission and began calling witnesses.
At the morning session the miners chal-
lenged the fairness of certain wage state
ments handed in by the Pennsylvania
Coal company, and in the afternoon Mr..
DaTrow had a spirited discussion with the
chairman as to whether the miners had a
right to know who was paying the lawyers
representing the non-union men. Simon
p. Wolverton, counsel for the Reading com-
pany, opening for the large coal companies,
claimed that the recognition Of the union
was not an issue before the commission.
Mr.. barrow protested at this and
claimed in reply that IL 1t were not the
operators should be barred from present
ing testimony to show the union re-
sponsible for the alleged violence commit
ted during the strike.
The question Of the wage statements
came up as a result of further inquiry into
child labor.
Today the miners placed two parents on
the stand who swore their earnings, as
stated to the commission yesterday. were
divided among from four to six men.
This surprised the commissioners, and
Judge Gray asked IL the figures were taken
from the wage statement already filed by
] ~ CuhpduNs anu MI warren Ieplleu IN
the affirmative.
Figures May MisIend.
The chairman then requested counsel to
indicate whether the figures given were
for one, two or more men.
w don't say 1t shakes our faith in the
statement" he continued, but unless you
can show that there are cases, such as
are suggested by this testimony, It will
| mataria 1ly ehnka ny fo{fb IL a. %
". A. May stated that the Pennsyl-
vania Coal company had two systems, one
where four men worked in a place and
another in which there were only two
men, but the company did not keep a record
Of the number concerned in any contract.
1t only kept the names of the men in
whose name the place is run.
The company, he said, did not pay the
laborer. it only paid the man in whose
name the place was run.
Mr.. Darrow cross-examined, and Mr..
May said he did not know whether two,
four or six men worked to earn the money
indicated on the memorandum, adding that
he got the figures from the auditor.
You saw these figures hand d to me, to
the newspapers and to the commission, and
you did not state to any one that you
did not know how many men shared in
the money earned" said Mr.. barrow.
Il did not say anything tbout It either
one way or the other" replied Mr.. May.
Mr.. Darrow. thereupon, directly chal-
lenged the good fai h Of Mr.. May who
handed the figures to the company's at
torney for presentation, and said It was
unfair to have given them to the com
mission without indicating how many
workmen's earnings were represented.
Operators Sum Up Case.
The miners here closed their case, and
Mr.. Wolverton formally opened for the OPP
orators by reading a sta cement, which rep
resented the views of all the large COM
panies, as follows: ''s .''1
All the anthracite coal in the United
states is found In a few counties of Penn
sylyania. The conditions of mining are so
different in different fields, and even in the
same mine, that it is not practicable TO
the whole region.
The respondents will show that 1t is the
acknowledged purpose of the United Mine
Workers of America to organize ali coal
mine employees and thus form a monopoly
of the labor needed for the fuel supply
demanded by the comfort and prosperity
of the American people.
After the strike settlement of 1900 union
men refused to work with nonunion men
and there were over 100 strikes in one year
IN various parts of the anthracite region.
to, the United Mine Workers ordered a
strike May II, 1902, though a large part
Of the miners were opposed to It.
Men were prevented by violence from
filling the strikers places; mines were
filled with water, and, had It not heen for
the operators strenuous efforts to keep
pumps going, few miners would have been
able to get work after the resumption.
Had the, union succeeded in stopping the
pumps little or no coal would have been
furnished the public IN the winter of
y 1923.
The respondents concede the right of
labor to organize for it's protection and to
benefit the conditions of the laborer, but
of a bituminous coal organization, COM
| posed of boys as well as men, would end
In the ruin of the anthracite coal business
in Pennsylvania
Bars Union Recognition.
1t has been conceded during the progress
of this hearing that the basis of founda-
ton of the appointment of the commission
and Its powers rest upon abe letter to the
public, signed by the presidents of the coal
acceptance Of the terms of this letter by
the convention of the striking mine work
ers; and that the powers of this commits
sion are confined to the questions affecting
the rates of wages paid and the reduction
OF the hours OF labor. and In no way in
wolves the question of recognition or the
entering into any agreement with that or
ganization as proposed In the statements of
claims filed by the compliments.
The respondents will show that after the
settlement of 1900 there was apparently a
concerted effort on the part of the miners
TO restrict the output, evidently to prevent
the producers from accommodating a stock
of coal to meet emergencies SUCH as floods
de~ed in May there was less than one
months supply of coal in the market.
The rate of wages in the anthracite re-
gion is not 40 or 90 per cent lower than