Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-10
The Non Union Men Have C-oSed
 Their Case.
CHAIRMAN GRAY STILL SICK


 The Attorney Says Rates Paid are
 Larger Than in BituminouS Fields
 No Manual Employment, He Says,
 That Requires So Little Training or
 Skill.
 Philadelphia, Jan 10.-The non-unlon men having closed their case, the coal companies opened thelr side ot the controversy to-day before the strike commission Chairman Gray is still confined to his home in Wilmington by a cold and General Wilson asa.n pre, siQeu.
 The proceedings were opened to-day by the UeiaWare and hudson Co, through it's counsel, James ii. Torrey oL Scranton. ln presenting the case or the company lie represents, MT Iorrey trst delIvered an address indicating what the company would try to prove. lie spoke in part as follows:
 "A general opening ot the case on behalf of the respondents having al- ready been made, 1 shall at this time conhne myself so far as practicable to a brief statement of the parIlcular mat ters winch it is expected to prove, espe- cially relating to the case or the Della ware and Hudson Go. We shall prove the charter powers of the company as set forth in it's answer already nled with the commission by which it will appear that this was the first company to enter upon the businass of mining and transporting out of the state its anthracite coal. We shall show that for many years, up to the beginning of the 1900 strike, the relations between the company and its employees had been friendly and harmonious, and that the inception of such degree of hostility as has since marked those relations was coincident with the entry into the anthracite field of the organization of the United Mine Workers.
 'fSo far as relates to the formal de mands pending before this commission 1t is only fair to this respondent to state that 1t is in the position unusual even in debate, and pra otically mad missible in legal proceed. .4gs of being compelled to prove a negative After spending weeks of valuable time, the case upon the part of the miners was closed without the production of any material evidence to substantiate any of their claims,
 
 and by the aid of an army of clerks and accountants, vast array of infor- rnation has been accumulated for the use of the commission, with reference to the wages and conditions of employ ment of our employees. By those state ments and from other testimony which will be offered, it will be demonstrated that there is no merit in the first de mand for a 20 per cent increase upon the prices paid during the year of 1901 to employees performing contract work 1t will be shown that both the rates paid and the amt l earnings upon this kind of work are larger than are paid in the bituminous coal fields for similar work, and the wages paid for occupa- tions requiring skill and training in the region. We are statisfied the commis- sion will find there is no manual em- pioyment requiring so little training or skill, the exposure to so little risk of health or life and the occupation of so small portion of the working day, which is so liberally compensated in wages as the work of the anthracite miner. Tn this connection we shall show that the employment is not extra hazardous and is more than ordinarily healthful. We shall show that since the last increase of wages there has been no material advance in the cost of living. We shall negative the unsup- ported claim that the children of the miners are forced to work at an early age by submitting list of our em- ployes whose boys are working, with the annual earnings of the parents, which average about $540.
 To the second demand for an eight hour day for company men, the evi- depce which already has been outlined will to large extent apply. Tn addi- ton thereto we shall submit statements which will show that even during the period when coal was most in demand and the collieries were operated to the Limit of their capacity, the breakers op- erated an average of less than eight hours per day, for reasons partly due to the voluntary action of the men and partly to cause beyond the control of either the company or the men, We have prepared schedule showing the wages, the number of days worked and the annual wages of all company men and boys, the general average being for men S518.95 and for boys $19693, which Is higher average than obtained in other similar employments.
 n th13 connection we shall show mat the only tabulated statement of. Tered in evidence by the mine workers purporting to give comparison of the earnings of company men in the bitu minous and anthracite fields is mislead- Ing in its scope full of inaccuracies in detail and false and misleading in con. clusion. Bearing upon the third demand of the miners for the weighing of coal and me payment by the ton for mining, we shall show that for many years this company has paid at some of it's mines ny weight and at others by the car We shall show the actual product in marketable coal. of units of weight and per car and that practical uniformity of wages results from both systems We shah show that so far as concerns our own employees no complaint has eyer been made directly to the com pany that either system was unfair o1 resulted in inadequate or unequal re. Enumeration for the labor actually Der. formed