The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-20

lor hospital, is not either a state or
quasi-public institution.
The coming of the United Mine
Workers. the witness said, tended to
better the people, especially the for
eiGn-speaking mine workers. The de-
crease of saloons in Schuylkill county
was cited as an indication of this. BY
association in the local meetings with
the English-speaking men they We're
given consciousness of importance
and individual worth.
There have been eleven big strikes in
the region in fifty years, about half of
them general. These strikes took place
in 1850, 1868, 1869, 1901, 1872, 1875, 1877,
1879. 1887 and 1885.
| In answer to question by Commits
sioner Clark as to whether or not the
violence in the last strike was greater
than during previous strikes, the wit
ness said he was not able to testify as
to this. The reports OF violence, how
ever. were greatly exaggerated in the
| newspapers.
DIR. Roberts was cross-eXam mined by
| Mr.. Wolverton. attorney for the Read
ing company, relative to his statistics.
| First lie had the witness admit that he
of mines and department of labor. Mr..
Wolverton then created some amuse-
ment by asking the witness to give his
| opinion as to the reliability Of various
| book reports and the like, among which
was an 1901 publication on Anthracite
Mining by Commissioner Parker; and
1901 reports by Commissioner Wright,
head of the department of labor, and
Assistant Recorder Mosely secretary OF
the Interstate commerce commission.
The witness admitted these are reliable.
Mr.. Wolverton got the witness to ad-
nit that ii Is impracticable to pay by
weight in pitching veins" which OBJ
tain so generally in the southern dis
trict, where the Reading company's
mines are all located. Mr.. Darrow in
terrupted to explain that the miners
We're not asking for payment by weight
in pitching veins. The demand was for
payment by weight where practicable,
he explained. In pitching veins it is
impossible to throw the rock and slate
aside. 1t must be sent out with the
coal. Therefore it is necessary to pay
in this region by the yard.
The impracticability of apportioning
the prepared product equally among the
miners as means of fixing basis of
pay was also admitted by the witness.
1t would not be fair to the company,
because II would decrease output and
1t would not be fair to the energetic
miner to make him accept the same
share as lazy one.
Excerpts from Book.
Mr.. Wolverton then began reading
some excerpts from DR.. Roberts book
published last year and presumng to
he an exhaustive general and technical
treatise on the anthracite coal regions.
One of the first things Mr.. Wolverton
read from the book was: 1.-THE Read
ing company has the reputation of
dealing fairly and justly with it's en-
Dloves."
"Is that correct?" inquired Commits
sioner Watkins,
"Ill admit its reliability" replied Mr.
Wolverton.
the declaration that the English-speak-
ing miners, as rule. are not as in
dustrious as the foreign speaking
miners; that they rarely spend more
than five hours day in the mines.
Other excerpts from various pages OF
the book We're introduced to prove The
very contentious the operators are
making. One passage very particularly
set forth that the variation of wages
was closely linked with the very vari-
able conditions and that it was imprac-
ticable to make rates of wages uni
form. DR., Roberts admitted this was
true now as it was when he wrote his
book, but he wanted to add that there
was no reason why the same class OF
labor should not receive the same pay
where conditions We're similar. The
same allowances should be made, he
thought, for setting props, cutting rock,
bailng water and the like in all coll
leries in a district.
Mr.. Wolverton was still engaged in
examining DIR, Roberts on his book
when adjourning time came.