The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-15

as far az | know, or as far back as
know--as far back as I have known the
anthracite miners. Q. There had always
been that difficulty here and those claims
made? A.. Ever since have known or
them. q. How long have youS known OF
the dissatisfaction of the mine workers
with reference to the method of ascer-
tanning how much pay they should haveE
A. ] have known of 1t Of my own lptor-
nation since the fall of 1898. Q. And that
has, generally speaking, crystalized itselt
into demand for payment by weight,
has 1t not? A. Yes. sir: as FAR as they
have ever given expression to the sys-
tenn they wish to he put upon, 1t has been
by weight. u. Is that general now IN the
bituminous fields? A. The system or pay
ing by weight is general in the bitumin-
Gus fields.
The Principal Reason.
Q. What were some Of the reasons,
briefly. advanced by the men, why the
companies should pay by weight? "A. Ihe
principal reason advanced by the miners
is that payment by weight Is the only
honest method of determining the amount
they earn. The miners know and believe
that they are not paid for the coal they
mine. Q. Has there been any claim al
legged where they are paid by the car. that
the size of those cars has been increased
without increasing their pay? A. Yes, sir.
The miners generally complain that the
cars themselves have been made larger
within recent years. and that there has
been q constant and continuous demand
by the companies that the miners shall
place more coal in the cars: in other
words they shall put more topping on.
The question of topping in those mines
where men are paid by cubical measure,
or by the box ather. has been source
A,,~, Nf,,,,
know Of. @. Tell us what you mean by
topping? A. The companies require that
the miners shall have a certain amount
of topping on the car when 1t comes TO
the breaker. That is to say. the rule may
require that there be six inches OF coal
above the water level of car when 1t
comes to the breaker. 1t it has not got
six inches on top at the end Of the mine?
Is sometimes hauled in the mine dis
tance of mile. AS Il consequence. the
coal shakes down in transit: aud while
the miner may have placed six inches on
that car at the place he loaded it, when
ii reaches the breaker the coal has settled
down or has been knocked off the car in
transit The consequence is that the
miner is docked for failure to have six
inches of coal or whatever the rule may
be, on the car when it reaches the break
or. @. In order to get six inches on the
top at the breaker. the car has to travel
a mile or two or three, or whatever Is re-
Ouired, and they must place more than
six inches on top at the en- dof the mine?
Is that what you mean? A. Yes. sir; it
would be necessary, because the coal
would settle or be knocked off. @. And
that exact amount could not be aScer-
tained? A. There would be no way of de-
termining it exactly. If they place con-
siderable amount, more than six inches of
topping in mines where that would be re-
uuired, they simply increase the danger Of
falling off or being knocked off on its way
to the breaker. @. Supposing that a
miner had placed so much coal on 4 car
that at the top OF the breaker there We're
seven or eight or ten inches. would he
get anything extra for that? A. No, sir.
Q. He is simply docked If he has less than
six? That is as YOU understand it? A.
That is my information about the system.
Q. Has that been grievance that they
have had? A. Yes. sir: very serious
grievance. q. Well. all these grievances.
real or fancied. whatever they We're, We're
Drought together at your convention,
were they not? A. Yes, sir
Efforts at Agreement.
Here Mr.. Mitchell told the story of
the strike preliminaries and the efforts
to effect an agreement on the Shamokin
demands through the Civic fedora ton
He told. among other things. that dur
ing the strike $1,50O,0OO was distributed
in aid to the strikers.
q. Two or three more questions and
then I shall have finished What would
YOU say as to the ability. on account OF
your organization. and Judged by youl
experience, to maintain discipline and as.
.slst in the settlement of questions and
help in the harmony of the management
Of the coal industry? A. should say
That our experience as an organiza tior
demonstrates conclusively that discipline
can be maintained where trade agree
ments exist. AS matter of fact, In
those states where we have trade agree.
ments, If any of our local unions. were
TO attempt to violate the agreement: il
they refused to go back to work when
we instructed them TO do so, we would
put them out of the union. We would re.
woke their charters. Our agreements
take precedence to our law. If our Law
were in conflict with the trade agree.
ment, the trade agreement would be
given precedence and we would set the
law aside rather than the agreement
The agreements must be kept inviolat
q. Mr.. Mitchell, some complaint ha.
been made, and i refer to il for thai
reason, In reference to the strike Of
bumpers. You know what I refer to. dc
you-pumping men? A, Yes. sir Th,
steam men went on strike on June End
The miners strike was on May 12th. Th,
instruction to the steam men to ask fol
reduction In the hours of labor wa.
issued on May 81. @. That was for
reduction to eight hours, was It? A
Yes, sir: the instruction was issued som,
twelve days before they We're to inaugur
ate a strike If the companies failed t,
give them an eight-hour work day. The,
were told I'm the instruction issued tha
they We're to remain at work and protec
the properties of the companies II th
companies would permit them to worl
eight hours day without any reduction
In their pay. Q. They Were to remain a
work while the others went on "A strike
A. Yes sir, Q. And that was because tn
pump men and the engineers We're neces
sary to keep water out of the mines? A
Yes. sir. Q. And matters of that sort
Were they refused an eignt hour day
A. With few exceptions, Some few II
some mines have granted the eight -hou
day. Q. And did they stay at worl
where the eiGht-hour day was granted
A. Yes. sir. q. One other matter that
overlooked, Mr.. Mitchell. Do you know
anything about the variety of contract
that exist in this region, specifically, an,
as to any cause of complaint on that ac
count? A. Contracts? Q. That Is, a var
iety In the payment or price for mnin
coal and the method IN which 1t |
mined? A. Yes, sir; only in IA genera
way, that all the companies operating
IN this Lackawanna and Wyoming re
gion pay either by the box, by the Car
by what is called a ton. Q. Is Il uniform
among the various companies? A. Nc
sir 1t Is varied. Q. State whether or no
that has been one of the causes OF com
plant? A. 1t has made IL impossible TO
the men working to determine how muc
coal they were loading for the, amour
they were receiving. @. In what way
A. They could not determine how muc
coal they would have to load, because o
the topping required Q. / refer now I
the question as To Wheiher diffaren