Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-04

SCRANTON, PA, December 3-The
anthracite coal companies and their en1-
ployees having failed to come to an agree
ment during the Thanksgiving recess OF
the strike commission, the hearing OF the
miners side of the case was continued to-
day, as heretofore, and unless somethfna
Is done by the lawyers on both sides 10
curtail matters. the proceedings will sure
ly run into next year. With the reas'
sem bling Of the commission to-day. how
ever. there was revival OF the talk
of a settlement "out of court" Nothing
definite has been done. and neither side
has approached the other. as far as can
be learned, regarding further negotiations,
but, as one prominent attorney expressed
It, there is something in the air.
The lawyers on both sides have heard
the rurnor. and profess they know noth'
ing about it. "but would not be surprised
if something in the way of an agreement
is reached before the hearings are con-
cluded."
Chairman Gray, speaking for the COM
mission to-day, again expressed the hope
that efforts would be made by both sides
10 agree on as many points as poss:ole.
and said that the commission was ready
to lend any conciliatory help to bring
about that end.
Six witnesses.
To-day's proceedings were of a more or
less desultory character. Six witnesses
were on the stand during the two ses-
sions. They were President Mitchell.
two photographers. two practical miners,
one of them Hungarian, and the wife
trar NTY
on the stand for a short time only. and
was called to show that a 20 per cent
increase in wages did not mean cores
/ ponding increase in the price of coal The
I photographers produced about half a h'ln-
i dred photographs they had taken of the
/ homes of the mine worsers In the fiazet'
/ ton region, which territory was under In
| vestigation to-day. The two miners asti-
/ fled with reference to wages patK and
] working conditions at the coliieries OF
I Coke Brothers & Conanany, an inde-
| pendent concern in the 1azleton region
/ and the woman. whose husband Is efn-
! ployedin the Coke mines, told story OF
| poverty.
! The commissioners at times were seem-
| ingly impatient at the way the proceeds
/ ings dragged. While they had half
! dozen witnesses before them, they did not,
| learn much more than they already know
on their trip through the coal fields they
saw houses whose general appearance was
| worse than those pictured to-day, and
! they also received much information
along the lines presented to-day from the
| men in the mines which they visited
Documentary Evidence Desired.
! They are anxious for the documentary
/ evidence, such as wage statements and
| other data bearing on wages and condi-
| tions. This was strongly evidenced to-
| day, when they eagerly seized upon the
bills handed up by the Hungarian witness.
| Every man of the commission examined
them, and had questions to ask about
/ them. One of the commissioners said to-
|! day it was principally a question OF wages
! and they wanted these facts as quickly
= as they could get them In this connee-
ton there was considerable discussion be-
tween the attorneys for all sides and the
commission regarding the documentary
! evidence. Both parties to the controversy
ha. agreed to try to agree. as far as pos
T! sible. on a summary of the great mass
of figures that the hundreds of accounts
for the different companies are computing.
but the task is such a stupendous one,
taking In as 1t does about H5,0o0 mel and
boys, that neither side is yet ready to go
into that feature of the invest iga ton
! The commission has decided to give all
companies who have not yet become a
! party to the arbitration com nission until
| 10 o'clock tomorrow morning to file their
answer to President MttchelPs Original
statement OF the miners case.