Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-23
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employee or group of employees violating
any of the provisions thereof shall lie sub
| ject TO reasonable discipline by the EN-
ployer, and further. that the Violation of
any provisions of these awards either by
employer or employees, shall not invali-
date any of the provisions thereof.
The commission also makes a number
| of recommendations which may be SUN
married. as follows:
The discontinuance of the system of
employing the coal and iron police" be-
cause this force is believed to have an
| ularly constituted peace authorities IN
! case of necessity.
a stricter enforcement of the laws in
| relation to the employment OF children.
Tina: the state and federal governments
should provide machinery for the making
of compulsory investigation of Difficult
| ties, similar to the investigation which
the commission has made. The commits
sion expresses the opinion that with a few
| modification the federal act OF October
| 1855 authorizing a commission to settle
| controversies between railroad corpora
| lions and other common carriers could be
made the basis of law for arbitration i'll
the anthracite coal mining business. the
commission, however. takes Il decided pJ-
Sition against compulsory arbitration. On
this point they add quite lengthy COM
mentary which closes in the following
language:
1.-The chief benefit to be derived from
the suggestion herein made lies in placing
the real facts and the responsibility fer
such condition authoritatively before tn.
people. that public opinion may crystalize
and make it's power felt. Could such a
commission as that suggested, have been
brought into existence in June last we he
lieve that the coal famine might have
been avertcd-certainly the suffering and
deprivation might have been greatly nit
igated y
These awards and recommendations
constitute the closing part of the report.
The earlier stages and by long odds the
larger portion of the report are devoted
to a review of the controversy which led
to the Presidents action in appointing
the commission, to the appointment it
mission during its existence. They review
in a general way the production of an
thracite coal, refer to the small area of
country in which it is produced, and dwell
at some length on the market conditions
and the prices of coal. They also refer
to the hazardous nature of anthracite
coal mining and give an estimate Of the
losses Occasioncd by the strike. These
losses they estimate as follows:
To the mine owners, SAC 100000; to the
mine employees in wages, $25, 900; to the
transportation companies SIS. 00O.0W The
commission says that in making their in
vestigation they have done whatever it
was practicable to do to acqut themselves
with the conditions which brought about
the strike and they make the following
summary of their work:
They have gone through mines and in
spected the various conditions which the
production of anthracite coal involves;
they have visited the breakers, the engine
houses and pumping stations they have
examined the machinery by which thS
mines are protected from water and foul
air; they have talked with the miners az
their work and in their homes, and they
have. given attention to the economic, do.
nestle, scholastic and religious phases of
their lives; they have listened to and di-
rected the examination and cross-eXam'-
nation of 55S witnesses, they have given
free scope to the counsel who represented
the OPERATORS the non-unlon men and the
miners, and they have devoted an entire
week to hearing their arguments.
The commissioners also say that Wnlle
there have been differences of opinion
among themselves there never has been
/ time during the five months of the eN
iStence of the commission when there was
IN unpleasant word spoken among them.
''or any indication whatever of Thought
or desire of aught save the truth and JUS
lice ..-
The commission then takes up the de-
mands of the mine workers ana the ar
Swers of the mine operators, giving IN &c
tail the reasons for the findings IN
General way they say. that the conditions
of the life of the mine workers outside
the mines do not justify in their full cX-
ent the adverse criticisms made by thelr
representatives. They also find that the
social conditions in the mining communl-
les are good and they fail to find mat tic
necessarily to force them to put their
small children to work. The commission
also find that the average daily rate OF
earnings in the anthracite regions does
not compare unfavorably with that in
)ther industries On the subject of the
recognition of the Mine Workers Union,
the commission say they do not consider
hat this subject is within the scope o! ,
he jurisdiction conferred on them. They
10 say however that the suggestion of
, working agreement between employees
md employers embodyirS the doctrine of
collective bargaining is one which the
commission believe contains may honefEl
elements for the adjustment of relations
in the mining region
Further on they say:
1.-The present constitution of the United
Mine Workers of America does not pre-
sent the most inviting Inducements to the
operators to enter into contractual rcla-
lions with it."