The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-17


port is accurate? A. And even the report
would indicate that II they had loaded
all the cars they could get by remaining
there all day. they would not have
loaded any more coal.
q. He says they go out voluntarily and
spend the rest of the day with their
friends Now, I am asking you, is 1t
fair proposition to ask this commission
to compel us by their order to pay every
body at least 5000 year, when the rule
Is that they go into the mine little
after and generally get out a little ar
ter i0 and I ask that In comparison
with what other wage-earners are apie
to earn in the United States?
a. Yes. but II is necessary Tor you 10
state 1t al-more than YOU read there.
q. wish you would state 1t all.
What the Report Said.
A. The report says that they return
the next day and start to work hard
again, because they cannot afford to lose
car. and that would seem to Indicate
that oven If they had remained at their
working place all day they would not
have earned any more money In the END
than by doing as IL apepars they do
q. Let us read a little further: &Then.
instead of taking time to prop or other
wise secure a seemingly bad piece OF roof,
which may be discoreved near the face,
next day" Now are such men, In COM
parison with the other men who have to
make their living by manly labor, fairly
entitled to be paid in every instance S6op
Il year, in your judgment? a. l should
say that If men only work three hours
day that they would not be entitled to
5000 a year.
q. What is the price of board per
month in our two properties? A. ! I'M
dcratand that board is usually SIS per
month. @. So if the average farm wages
were SIS a month-and 1t is below that
and you added SIS month to 1t, and
they worked nine or ten months, that
would be. say $33 a month. making 1890
for ten months. Is $3.50 equal to $500 do
you think? A. No, sir: do not think
the conditions are at all comparable. Q.
Does not the average Farmland work at
least twice as much--twce as many
lours-as the average man at any of our
collier eries? A. No, | think not; not the
average man.
aware that any increase in the cost OF
coal. would, If possible. be unloaded upon
the consumer. You have yourself recom-
Inendcd that course to the operators,
have YOU not? A. l have not.
&. And, of course. you know that an
tlira cite coal Is n necessity to the very
poor of Il great portion of the eastern
and you are familiar with the old truth
very old and always true-that the
curse of the poor Is their poverty. and
that great many of those unfortunate
people have to buy their coal by the eX-
crciSe of the EXTREMIST possible economy,
and even then very narrowly escape. II
they escape at all, from the bitterness OF
cold? A. We do not fix the rates of ccal.
where the poor buy it. @. That is not at
all an answer to my question: I must
ask YOU to answer, then you may sup
plement it. a. Yes, I understand that 1t
Is very difficult for the extremely poor 10
purchase coal. and, in connection there
with l would say that when the ten per
cert. advance was paid to the miners
upon the authority of experts it
amounted to five cents ton given TO
the miners-and that the consumers paid
much more than that for it.
Putting Expense on Cities.
G. And you expect therefore any ad-
vance will not only be added upon the
bowed back of the poor of our great
cities of the eastern states, but will be
| multiplied by the operators? A. | expect
that the operators will do that if they
can
G. And you are willing to be a party of
that increased burden?
-. Not willing to be; We may be forced
to be, but we are not willing to impose
upon the consumer of coal; we have
nothing at all to do with it.
q. You have not?
A. No, sir.
&. You have no public duties, no social
duties, with reference to this?
a. We have no way of controlling 1t.
O. No; but haye you not aspirations and
duties of Il social and religious chara cter
with your organizations
a. Certainly; | say we have no way of
controlling 1t, that the operators charge
the consumers as much as they choose for
the coal. We are not consulted in the
matter at all.
vance in your wages and secure it, YOU
know, as we'll as YOU know your name,
that an additional burden will be put upon
the poor people who have to buy it.
A. The operators must be entirely re-
sponsble for that.
@. But you are the start, you start the
stone rolling which is to roll ulSn their
back and break it, in some cases. | have
here now demand from Philadelphia,
for the poor of that city Fortunately the
weather has moderated recently. They
We're panc-stricken last Saturday by the
news that a cold wave was coming, for
they could not get their coal. Now YOU
make it harder for them to get it If YOU
add to the cost of producing. do you not?
1t may be right to do so. | do not say
it Is not right: l only want YOU to face
the consequence OF your action.
\. | should say that If an advance of
20 per cent. was paid to the miners and IL
the advance amounted to 20 cents a ton on
coal. which is 100 per cent. more than the
experts who have made calculations here
tofore have said, it would increase the
cost to the consumer about 20 cents a
month, the poor man would be out of his
earnings 20 cents more month. lie
would not be ont more than that because
he does not use more than n ton a month.
| do not think that 20 cents a ton ought
TO be added to the price to the consumer;
In think the operators might pay that out
of their profits
Q. But supposing they have no profits?
Mitchell's Quick Retort.
A, Then they might pay it out of their
freight rates
O. Suppose their freight rates do not
pay any profit, then where are they to
pay it from? A. l presume they would
charge il up TO the consumer whether 1t
pays or not.
q. ! was going to ask If they had any
other place to take it. If you demand am
increase and they have no profits where
are they going to place II except upon the
bowed backs of the poor.
A. They might put 1t on the bowed
backs of the rich
O. The rich do not mind 1t. they are
ready to agree with YOU 10 make "A trust
for them and a trust for YOU; but 7 am
not, | am asking about the other classes.
A, l can only say that they have done
that already without paying the miners
one cent in wages They have increased
the price of coal 30 cents IA ton without
solctude for the public
q, For how long?
A. 1t is going into effect now.
q, For how long?
4 Inlaratand n ic 10 I,