The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-04
COMMISSION is TIRED
ITS WORK WITH THE STRIKE MAY
RUN INTO NEXT YEAR.
HINTS OF SETTLEMENT HEARD
BUT NOTHING DEFINITE TO SHOW
PARTIES WILL AGREE.

Chairman Gray, at the Renewal of
the sitting, Again Expressed the
Hope That Agreements Might BE
Reached on All Points Possible.
Several Witnesses Examined, But
no Particularly Valuable Testi-
mOny Was acknowledgements
Evidence Wanted.
Scranton, Pa. Dec. 3.-The anthra-
cite coal companies and their employees
having failed to come to an agreement
during the Thanksgiving recess of the
Strike Commission. the hearing of the
ued to-day. as heretofore. and unless
something is done by the lawyers on
both sides to curtail matters, its pro-
ceedings win surely run into next year.
With the reassembling of the COM
mission to-day however. there was a
revival of the talk of settlement "out
of court" Nothing definite has been
done and neither side has approached
the other, as far as can be learned, re-
garding further negotiations, but as
one prominent attorney expressed 1t,
there is something in the air"
The lawyers on both sides have
heard the rumor and profess they
know nothing about IL. but would not
be surprised If something in the way
of an agreement is reached before the
hearings are concluded.
Chairman Gray, speaking for the
commission, to-day again expressed the
hope that efforts would be made by
hot eli to On ug anu Mat
as possible and that the commission
was ready to lend any conciliatory
help to bring about that end
Got Little That Helps.
To-day's proceedings We're of a more
or less desultory character. Six wit
nesses were on the stand during the
two sessions. They were President
Mitchell, two photographers, two prac-
teal miners, one of them a Hungarian,
and the wife of a German miner. Mr..
Mitchell was on the stand for a short
time only, and was called to show that
20 per cent. increase in wages did
not mean a corresponding increase in
the price per ton of coal.
The photographers produced about
fifty photographs they had taken of the
homes of mine workers in the Hazelton
region, which territory was under in
vestigation to-day. The two miners
testified with reference to wages paid
| and working conditions at the collier
les of Coke Brothers & Co, an mde-
| pendent concern in the Hazleton dis
trict, and the woman, whose husband
| Is employed in the Coke mines, told a
story OF poverty.
The commissioners We're at times
| seemingly impatient at the way pro-
ceedings dragged. While they had half
| a dozen witnesses before them they
a oh 81 81
ready knew on their trip through the
coal fields they saw houses whose gem
eral appearance was worse than those
pictured to-day. and they also re-
celved much Information along the lines
presented to-day from the men in the
mines which they visited.
Documents what They Want.
They are anxious for the documen-
tary evidence, such as wage statements
and other data. bearing on wages and
conditions. Thiswas strongly evidenced
to-day when they eagerly seized upon
the due bills handed up by the Hun
garian witness. Every member of the
commission examined these. and had
questions to ask about them.
One of the commissioners said to-
day 1t was principally question of
wages, and they wanted these facts
as quickly as they can get them. In
this connection there was considerable
discussion between the documentary
evidence. Both sides to the controversy
had agreed to try to agree as far as
possible on a summary of the great
mass of figures that the hundreds of
accountants for the different compa-
mics are computing, but the task is
such stupendous one, taking in, as
1t does, about $4,000 men and boys,
that neither side Is yet ready to go
into that feature of the investigation.
The commission has decided to give
all companies who have not yet be-
come party to the Arbitration Com
mission until 10 o'clock tomorrow
morning to file their answers to Pres
ident Mitchell's original statement OF
the miners case.