Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-29
HEARING NEARING IN IND.
The Philadelphia & Reading Co
 Opened It's Case To-Day.

The Company's Attorney Laid Before
 the. Commission a Lot of Core
 spondence-General Mining Superin-
 tendent Veith Was the First Wit
 ness.
 Philadelphia, Jan 29.-The Phila- delphia & Reading Coal and Iron com pany, the last of the signatOry com panies to the arbitration plan, opened its case to-day before the coal strike commission. Simon F. Wolverton, the company's leading counsel, presented to the arbitrators in book form all the communications that have passed be- tween the mine workers, their orga- nization and the coal operators. The first witness was John Veith of Potts vile, general mining superintendent for the company. MT Veith gave a brief history of his experience as a miner and stated that he has been in his present position for 25 years. There are under him four division su- perintendents and ten district superin- tendents. Owing to the steep pitches of the veins in the Readings mines
 
 paid for by the yard
 The company has 37 collieries and employs about 25,OOO men. Of these 5,OOO to 6,OOO miners. The witness gave q technical description of the varying conditions of the mines and told of the difficulties that were in the way or paying all miners under one system. Under his company's rules the mlners have the privilege of work Ing III any other colliery of the com pany. 1T a miner, he said, is unable 10 earn living wages, it is the rule of the company to give the men an allow ance. The employees have a right to appeal to him if they reel that ad1 JustmentS made by the district or di- vision superintendents are not ada quate.
 The Reading does not maintain com pany stores nor employ company doc- tors, he said, neither has if . dockino system. Some of the Readings coai veins are 50 to 70 feet thick and as much coal has 10 be left in ina mina Ill the form of pillars to s1nnort +lo roof as is taken out. These nii1ars ., ,.o aIterWard ''robbed'' and in many ca co sas s the roof falls in. When this ooa,,,.s, ,., much of the coal is lost forever.
 Philadelphia, Jan 29.-The pbiladaf- pnia & Reading Coal & Iron Co had all but one of its active collieries in operation yesterday, and to-day The luil quota of B collieries is baino worked. The output ayerag ages frap7 l,5Oo to 400 cars daily.
 General Manager Henderson nra- uicts that break from the presant -llgh prices asked by the. indenandant operators is bound to come varv soo,
 IS stated that the railroads are uolng all in their power to accomplish that object. They are said to be da- termined to break up the speculative Ieauure of the anthracite business or the holding of coal in transit by inda- pendent shippers with the possible view of Keeping up the high prices lt IS now almost a daily occurrence for the railroads to place an embaroo on some shipper who has kept loaded cars upon the tracks beyond a reason able time after reaching distributing points.
 whenever such a case arises the of lending shipper is denied cars until the coal already in cars has been un- loaded. This action not only insures prompt unloading of cars, but the dis trlDutlon of more coal to the trade. Which together with the increased out put of the big mining companies and the mild weather is beginning to have an erect upon high prices.