The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-08-15
CHARACTERISTIC POSE OF ARBITRATOR CHARLES NJ McRERv



and he keeps the check
man can get all his supplies and
clothes-everything in fact that he really
needs from the store. Doctors and med
icine are paid for the charge being about
Sl,OO per month. So he does not need
anything for that. If a man was re-
quired to go to court or needed money
for any such emergency he would be
able to get 1t easily without discount
| think most thrifty men would prefer
monthly pay day don't want any
man to buy a dollars worth of goods
he don't need. We have ice and storage
houses. Skilled butchers cut the meat
and 1t is cheaper than in Birmingham.
In our commissaries we strive to make
fifteen per cent on our sales.
A two weeks pay day would cause more
clerical work. and expense to the operator.
The commercial coal operator sells at thir-
ty to sixty days. The iron operator never
less than sixty days, and often cannot
sell promptly when the iron is made. The
iron is often on the yards a long time.
Those are our general reasons, against a
two weeks pay day. Soss checks are sold
particularly at commissaries near the CEN
tiers of trade. The rate of discount is
generally Is per cent Some of the COM
panies may buy the checks.
don't think the stores would ever give
discounts directly They could not afford
It, These checks are only redemable in
goods. Checks might be cancelled by the
company without going through the COM
missary, but don't believe it is done. We
could use pass books, but most of the
men don't want that system as they could
not convert them into cash.
Farley Questions.
Questioned. by Mr.. Farley, Colonel Bush
said: | said that If there was more muscle
used there would be less powder used.
Where coal is hard. If there was less pow
der used the output might be less. 1 think
the men use an unnecessary amount of
powder. If men mined In hard seams
they would dig less coal. The seam at
Lewisburg is seven foot seam, of which
5 feet inches is clear coal. l don't know
how many days miners work in the north.
We have very little sickness. There Is not
an average of one man constantly in the
hospital.
The Birmingham district furnace men
practically make all their own coke. The
Cornellsville> district coke Is mostly used
by the United States Steel company The
United States Steel company buy Besse-
mer and basic iron pigs. I don't think
they buy much in the Birmingham dis
trict.
We set aside % cents ton on pig 8
cents a ton on coal and cents a ton
for ore mined in order to take care OF
depreciation in our plant The % cents
a ton on iron is for refining furnaces. We
citation. l have been president of the Ala
bama Consolidated since 1899. We have
paid per cent on preferred stock. The
amount of the preferred stock is $500 600.
We paid per cent on 100000 of bonds.
We have built one furnace since 1899
We have bought coal lands and ore
lands, but we sold other property for
enough to pay for the new property. I
would not use the, coal that was offered
me at 20 cents a ton when I was coal
buyer for a railroad. l will tell YOU Mr..
Farley, privately, what seam it was
from, but 1 don't want to give the name
here
Coal Output.
The Alabama coal output increased 10
per cent last year and s per cent the
year before. The output this year may
have increased over last year. but most
of it went into increased iron output.
Land near railroads has increased 100
per cent in some cases. l would not care
to buy it at the increased price. I oppose
an eight-hour day because don't believe
it could be enforced. We cannot now get
more than eight hours work under a
nominal ten-hour day. So far as I know
the furnace men in the Snenango valley
are not working eight-hour shifts.
On account of irregularity of the men
we have to open up much more territory
and need more miners. All the houses are
occupied by employees. If the men would
work a reasonable number of days a
month and hours a day we would need
less houses because we would need less
men. The houses cost from $500 to $500.
All houses are rented on the same basis.
Doctors are employed by companies, and
the men pay for them by assessments.
A ride on the naphtha