The Van Buren press., 1902-12-20
SOME PERTINENT FACTS.
Judge Gray Brings Them Out In
Connection With Child Labor
in the Coal Regions.
CASES WHERE IT WAS NOT NECESSARY.
Fathers Earnia&upwarhs Of a Thou
sand and Nine Hundred Dollars,
Respectively, Allowed Their Lit"
tie Daughters to Work Nights In
Factories.


Factories.
Scranton, Pa. Dee. 17-When the
coal strike commission met Tuesday
Chairman Gray opened the proceed
ings by saying that the commission
ers We're impressed with the spectacle
of the little girls who We're before the
commission Monday and testified that
they worked all night. He said the
people of the community and citizens
of the commonwealth should not let
the INCIDENT pass without taking some
steps toward having the Pennsylva-
mia legislature consider making law
forbidding employment of children at
night, At the suggestion of the COM
mission the statement of the wages
of the fathers of two of the girls were
presented. One earned more than ST.
900 last year and the other over 5000.
The miners sprung another surprise
by presenting an individual operator
On the witness stand against the OPP
orators. He was John G. Haddock.
of Wilkesbarre, president Of the Ply
mouth Coal Co. Mr.. Haddock, in an
swer to questions put to him by c. =.
Darrow, for the miners, said he had
been in the coal business years. His
company operates the Black Diamond
and Dodson mines near Wilkesbarre.
He said his company went into the
hands OF receivers on March IA, and
in November trustees took hold of
the property Mr. Haddock then ex-
planned that the miners ton, which
runs from 2,7oO to 5000 pounds, was
fixed years ago so that the employer
could get out Of the ton 2,240 pounds
Of pure coal above the size OF pea
Pea coal and all sizes below that was
waste. This waste is now being util.
ized Regarding the prices of coal Mr..
Haddock said the middlemen in New
York are paying $ll and s12 ton.
Mr. Gompers occupied the witness
stand throughout the afternoon ses
sion, lie began his testimony by CIV.
Ing his history OF the federation OF
labor and followed this with a brief
sketch Of the progress OF organized
labor, which he said had been very
great. The hours OF labor of the
workman generally throughout the
country, he continued, have been III
terially reduced.
Chairman Gray, who is taking IN e.
pecial interest in boycotts, asked Mr..
Gompers what he thought Of such
methods.
The witness said he would boycott
any person that Is unfair to his work.
men, but would not boycott II man
who chooses to do business with the
person that Is boycotted,
The question Of the recognition OF
unions was then taken up, and Mr.,
Gompers said that employers made q
mistake when they refused to recog.
nizc organized labor. The employer,
he said, has no moral right to refuse
to confer with committee Of his EN-.
ploycs,
Mr., Gompcrs was then cross-exnm.
ined by James Torrey, counsel OF the
Delaware n Hudson Co. Mr.. Torrey
asked the witness If he did not be.
lleve that members Of the United
Mine Workers of America should I've
ri years Of age aud able to read and
write before they were admitted to
membership in the union.
TO this the witness REPLIED "Yes;
ten yenrs from now, and when the
companies stop bringing ill!terate
foreigners to this country, They IRE
brought here by the companies, and
the labor union must protect them
and see that they get their rights"
Mr. Torrey asked him II he could
prove that the coOl companies were
guilty of such thing, and the wit.
ness replied that he felt certain II
was true, because he had seen copies
OF circulars which have been sent
around In southern Europe asking
people 10 come Into Pennsylvania, and
stntlng that there was plenty OF mon.
ey TO be earned In the mines.
Mr. Torrcy asked him 70 steamship
companies were not the authors of
those circulars, to which Mr.. Comp
ers replied that he had seen ten,
twenty and thirty men huddled TO.
gcthcr In huts In the anthracite coal
fields, and he noted that II was not
long after they arrived here that
they were given employment In the
mines
He offered TO give 10 the commits.
sion the nUmc Of u man who could
give the facts to the commission he
did not care TO make hls name pub.