The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-17
CLAIMS MINERS
ARE WELL PAID
Lehigh Coal & Navigation Com
pany Files Statement.
IA PLEA OF SMALL PROFITS
DEFENDS OPERATORS AGAINST
ACCUSATIONS.
A PLEA OF SMALL PROFITS
\ PHILADELPHIA. Pa, Nov. 1s.-Ths

PHILADELPHIA. Pa. Nov 1s.-Ths
statement of the L.ehigh Coal &
Navigation company. submitted to
the anthracite coal strlAf commission,
now in session at Scranton. in answer
to the demands of the miners. was
made public here today. The answer re-
cites development OF the company from
the date of its charter. in 1922, refers TO
the expense of operation and to The
comparatively small profits and de-
eiares the demand of the employees for
an increase of 20 per cent is unjustii-
able, and states that the reasons given.
in support of the demand are not
founded on fact.
Accompanying the statement are two
exhibits. One shows the earnings Of
the employees of the company for enc
year, based on the time worked during
1901, the number of the several classes
OF Workmen and the rates paid accord
ing TO the payroll for the first half Of
May, 1892. The other is a catalogue Of
overt acts charged to the striking en-
plcyes of the company during the re-
cent contest. the riots, assaults and
disturbances of various kinds, number
ed at upwards of sixty.
The answer states:
The Lehigh Coal & Navigation com
pany is the Oldest corporation engaged
in the mining of coal in the anthracite
region 1t was chartered in 1922 and
was the successor of the Lehigh Coal
Mining company, which was organized
in England in 1898. 1t also acquired
certain rights on the Lehigh river
which were granted in 1915
Great A-aa oe TonJ
ct owns and controls about 1000
acres OF coal lands in Carbon and
SehuylkiH counties. which are esJi-
mated to contain over 500, 000, 900 tons
! OF available unmined coal It's en-
| DlOyes number about 5000 and its ca
/ pacity Of production is over 200. 600 tons
a month It's capital stock and funded
/ debt amounts to upwards Of ST3. coo. 000
I All of its capital stock and bonds were
I issued for full value. but although its
/ more important coal lands were pur-
/ chased at a time when the country was
/ a Wilderness. and all its lands have
/ been acquired at moderate prices, the
4 dividends upon its capital stock to date
only average 4.02 per cent The profit
on coal mined by the company during
| the ten years ending Dec 81. 1901. has
averaged 1i.e9 cents per ton, after
! charging off taxes on coal land and de-
probation. but not including any charge
for royalty. which represents the value
of the coal in the ground. Nor were
the rates of freight upon the railroad
/ eXorbltant, as is shown by the fact that
the company operated its own canal
and found il advantageous to send the
coal to market over the railroad rather
than by the canal
Referring 10 the claim of the miners
that better wages are paid in the
bituminous 6elds for substantially sim
liar work, the answer states:
Good Wages the Rule.
This company does not know what
rate of wages is paid in the bituminOus
coal fields throughout the country, but
there is nowhere in any fields substan-
TALLY similar work to that which is
done under contract in the mines OF
this company 1t is a fact. however,
I that miners Of ordinary skill and ex-
perience have always been able to 30
from the mines of this company to any
other mining region throughout the
country and obtain employment. In
1891 for a day of ten hours contract
miners earned an average Of S3-14 per
day; skilled labOrers, $2.31; unskilIed
labOrers, S1.S3; boys, 81 for work under
ground. The rates for outside labor
average as follows:
Skilled labor, $1.96: unskilled labor
SIPS; boys. Il cents The average an
nual earnings of adults we're S475.25. y
Denial IS made of the claim Of the
miners that their earnings are insult
ficient to maintain the American stand
ard of living. and concerning the en-
pIOyeS of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation
company these figures are given:
out of 1908 families. SO own theil
own homes. Pianos viii be found II
I46 and house organs in 33T- The com
} pany owns and rents to its empIoye:
81 houses at an average rental o.
81. 70 per month. The character o.
these houses is fully up to the averag,
! in any part of the country occupied
by any other class of workmen. /
: has been the policy of the company
TO sell surface rights 10 those of IT
: / employees who desire TO put up theil
: own houses, and for many years ther'
has been a steady demand on this ac
: count. The town of Summit Hill hal
l a population of about 5000, and almos
: the entire surface, with the dwellings
, is now owned and occupied by EN-
: ployes of the company.
Home of Education.
The families Of the employees hav
; school accommodations, with capabl
; teachers, and over 200 children are il
. attendance, while over 70 per cent 0
the whole fund expended in the regiol
is derived from taxes paid by thi
company on its coal estate"
Regarding the employment of boys
. the statement says:
Slate picking is a very easy occupa
[ ton compared to the work done b
| the boy upon a farm, and many O
. them are needed to take care of tn
[ mine mules and other light work, an
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