The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-19

rule of the local unions not to prepare
coal when the breakers were idle did
not have for it's object the restriction
of the output
IF these miners had been permitted
to work, asked Mr.. Ross, ION these
idle days, the output would have been
greater, wouldn't it?"
81 don't know whether your company
wanted more coal than the miners pro-
duced or not
I'VE have wanted for several years
all the coal we could get. We have
never been able really to supply our
orders
That" Mr.. Mitchell answered, "is
very different from what l usually got
from the men you represent, because
they said their sales were limited en-
tirely by the competition of bituminous
COAL
I'VE are not discussing competition
at present" Mr.. Ross remarked. Dur
ing this era of prosperity we worked
all the miners we could to advantage"
81 say" said Mr.. Mitchell, further,
that information is contrary to the
statements made by the presidents of
your companies"
Mr.. Mitchell here gave history of
his connection with union labor. He
said he had secured a reduction of the
hours in Illinois in 1898 to eight hours.
There was no strike. I'VE did what we
are trying to do here-we asked the OPP
orators to meet us and we agreed on
an advance Of IS per cent. and an eight
hou dray."
After some unimportant testimony as
to comparison Of wages, the social
feature Of life in the coal fields was
taken up and Mr.. Mitchell said he
could not see any other reason in child
labor than that the families required
the money to live on, the exception be-
ing where the parents may be inhu-
man.
At this point Mr.. Ross said that his
company owned 2S4 houses which were
rented to the miners on an average of
five dollars month.
you charge enough for Them" was
Mr.. MitchelPs dry response, which
caused merriment among the miners in
the court room.
After securing an expression from the
miners president that The company
paid to stockholders 26 per cent. on
their capital stock, Mr.. Ross inquired
If he was not incorrect, ST think the
earnings were that" said Mr.. Mitchell,
There are a good many methods for
putting profits away in a railroad" he
added.
The matter of an eight hour day was
again taken up, and in the course, of
the examination Mr.. Mitchell said that
at the time he and his clerks were
working more than eight hours day
but that was incident to preparing data
for the commission, but usually the
clerks in his office worked eight hours,
Giving as a reason for the miners
preferring to be paid by weight rather
than by measure, Mr.. Mitchell said
that persons buying coal wanted it
weighed as do sellers of coal.
'"What benefit is there" asked Mr..
Ross, ''to the miner by being paid by
the ton instead of by the carr"
Mr. Mitchell said that there had been
general discomfort among the miners
the docking not only for impurities, but
on account Of the topping"
"You do not know" said Mr.. Ross,
that it is necessary to discipline a
MANI
SIS that the reason?" Mr.. Mitchell
asked, ''for impurities, or because their
car did not have enough in it, He
insisted that he knew Of instances
where docking amounted to three or
four per cent, although Mr.. Ross had
stated that it was eight-tenths Of
cent. Mr.. Mitchell then referred to the
increase in the size of cars without in
crease of wages, and said this was an
other ground for complaint because 1t
represented decrease in miners earn
ings.
Answering Judge Gray, Mr.. Mitchell
admitted that about 10 per cent. of the
total production Of anthracite coal was
put out on the weight basis.
At 4 o'clock the commission adjourn
ed until 10 o'clock tomorrow, Mr..
Mitchell still being on the stand.