Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-06-27
MITCHELLANSWERED
Statement Of Miners Leader
Criticised.
An OPERATORS VIEW OF TIE CASE
No New Developments In BituminOus
strike-Beport tCurrcnt Tint Ger
tain Anthracite Companies Are
organizing TO OncrmLc MimeA.

NO new DeNcIppEnc nus In lBitumlnOuS
Strike-Report tCnrrcnt Tint Ger
tain Anthracite Companies Are
Preparing to Operate Mines.
WILKESBARRE, Pa, June 24.-In-
dependent operators and superintend-
ents have been interviewed on Presi-
dent Mtchell's address to the public.
None of the officials seen would permit
mis- name to be used. and there is no
one in the region who is authorized to
make a statement or give an opinion
for the big coal companies. Such off
cial statements or interviews can come
only from the presidents of the big
companies in New York or Phladcl-
phia.
In the opinion of most of the officials
here the address is "cleverly written"
ana will appeal to those persons vino
are not familiar with the conditions in
the mining regions. One superintend-
ent whose views were similar to the
others said
president Mitchell touched on only
one of four demands made by his
ton of wages. He did not say any
thing on the uniform wage scale, the
weighing of coal at all mines or the
recognition of the union. These are
vital points OH which the companies
lro making IL strong stand. Regarding
his claim that the productive capacity
Of the mine workers is increasing rath-
l. l.
where he gets his figures. The statis-
tics for last year have not yet been
completed. and the companies have
thus far been unable to determine that
question.
The superintendent went on to say:
The assertion that the miner does not
get paid for all the coal he mines is not
true. The miner is paid for 2,24O
pound ton. and he has to send to the
surface on an average 200 to 1900
pounds of coal, slate and other impuri-
ties to get the ton of pure coal. only
about 10 per cent of the coal produc-
ton is paid for by weight, the other 90
per cent being paid by measure"
The superintendent added that Mr..
Mitchells statement that the mine
workers receive an average of SLIP for
Il ten hour day is not a fair one. In
finding this average" he said "the
wages of boys. who make up between
80 and 10 per cent of the 141,5O0 per-
sons spoken of in the statement. are in
cluded."
y representative of the operators
said:
mitchell says the miners are paid
very poor wages. but the earnings of
the miners per hour for actual time av-
erageS from 80 cents to 90 cents. ac-
cording to their skill and ambition.
The miners earn more than twice
as much per hour as locomotive engi-
neers, who receive about 27la cents an
hour but who make about &3.25 day.
The miner is the best paid workman in
Pennsylvania"
There are no developments in the hi
luminous phase of the coal strike
News from the west as to how the min
ers there stand is eagerly awaited
There is still much speculation as to
what the special national convention
will do.
1t was reported here that the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western, the
Delaware and Hudson and the Scran-
ton Coal companies are Jointly making
up roll of names of men who have
applied for work for the purpose of OPP
Grating one or two collieries within the
near future. This cannot be confirmed
here.