Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-15
Cut Down the Scanty Earnings
of the Miners.
Docking Boss Ordered to Cut, With
or Without Proyocation.
accident Mitchell and Practical Min
b ers on the Stand.

,,,o coal strike commission was taken
~ in presenting cumulati tive testimony
~ matters already heard. This testi-
nv tended to show that there has
teon excessive docking, that many men
...re Disseminated against because
nv went on strike rather than do
work of strikers, that they are paid one
,,rice for mine cars of all sizes, that
NOV do not get paid for all the coal
.,;ned that they should have the eight
hour dav because the mines are I'M
healthy and dangerous and that they
ought to receive higher wages.
late in the day President Mitchell
,ras called to the stand and presented
comparative figures which showed that
mon paid by the day receive from 40 to
"a per cent. higher wages in the btu
mno,Is regions than they do in the an
,bracite fields His figures of the an
tbracite fields were gathered by his
own officers and hurried comparison
with the figures handed to the commits
s;on nv the Delaware a. Hudson Co,
no said showed thai his were general
" higher.
Edward Ridgeway, formerly a COM
many docking boss in the employ of the
Temple Coal and Iron Co, testified that
no was n member of the union and did
not know that it was contrary to the
rules for a company docking boss to be-
long to the union.
Ridgeway said that nine years ago
he was told by the rhine foreman that
he must dock n certain percentage, no
matter whether the coal was clean or
full of dirt This percentage changed
from to per cent. After the union
hal a check docking boss appointed
the percentage fell to 1 97-100 per cent.
John McGlone a check weghman for
the union, gave figures which showed
that the men at the No. collierv of
The Pennsylvania Coal Co. mined 1l,1S3
more tons of COl from April. 1901, to
April. 1902. than they We're paid for.
He explained this by saying that there
were more than 2240 pounds of clean
coal in the miners ton of 200. He gave
figures to show that the average
monthly wages of the miners laborer
was s27.92 and those of the miner SAT-.
The accuracy of his figures was ques-
toned by the companies attorney and
McGlone was temporarily withdrawn
from The stand by the miners lawyer.
William Mates, a miner for the Le-
high & WilkeSbarre Coal Co. was the
first witness to complain of the system
IN vogue to determine how much rock,
slate and coal is in car at the court
house" The court house" is a place
at a colliery where the contents of a
mine car are tested when there is
dispute. He said the system is mac
Curate.
The remainder Of the morning session
was tlkon nm in hpnriptr fpnr witnesses
who were formerly employed by the
Lehigh & Wilkesbarre Coal Co. They
testified that they were not given their
old positions after the strike ended.
Two of them admitted that the compa-
ny promised them other work because
their places had been filed.
Much of the afternoon session was
consumed in piling up cumulative evil
dence tending to show that the wit
nesses called were disseminated
against by the companies.
Thomas Deemer Of Hazleton. former
ly employed as a clerk in the office or
the Silver Brook Co. explained how
that company computed miners wages
In giving the 10 per cent increase in
wages granted as a result Of the 1909
strike. He testified that q. per cent.
was represented in the reduction of the
price of powder. but it was done in
such way that the men did not &C
tually get a 10 per cent. increase and
II they burned too much powder were
In debt to the company.
August Baker. a miner employed at
Hazlebrooll. said he lived in a compa-
ny house for which he paid S4.i5 per
month. He testified that when 1T rains,
occupants of these houses are compeii-
ed to place tubs and dish pans on the
second floor to catch the water from
the roof. He said there was no road
INTO Hazelbrook and that undertakers
refuse to go there and tradesmen re-
fuse 10 send goods into the town.
Decentralization brought out state
ments from the witness that he Owned
mouse which brought him SIS month.
MI Dickson read from the company $
pay roll to show that last year he
earned over $500 and that his two CONS,
VINO were also working at the cOlliery,
increased these earnings to more than
$500.
President Mitchell was on the stand
ior an hour. He submitted the con-
tract between the union and the sol
eoal operators in Illinois, which Is
somewhat similar to the contracts witr
the operators in Indiana, Ohio ana
western and central Pennsylvania. IN
all of which eight hours constitute
uays work. He presented comparative
nsures showing that company men in
the bituminous regions earned from 4,
10 % per cent. more than company men
IN the anthracite fields, and the former
only work eight hours day. Company
men are paid by the day. His figures
We're gathered by his own officers and
'hey We're generally higher than those
submitted by the Delaware & Hudson
20. Later Mr.. Torrey for the Delaware
hudson, announced that the figures
MS company handed up were found to
contain many errors and that correct
SET OF statistics would be handed ur
later.
chairman Gray asked what was done
oy the miners to adjust grievances dur
ing the interval between the two great
strikes. and Mr.. Mitchell replied thai
ne Knew of no company refusing to hold
az ..r,