New-York tribune., 1903-01-15
UNION In MINING REGION.
PROMOTED LAWLESSNESS
Testimony on Behalf Of Erie Com
pany-Eaamings of Men Less.

PHILADELPHIA Jan 1i.-Recogniton of the union
which the anthracite coal operators maintain is not
an issue before the Coal Strike Commission, was
the principal demand attacked by the Erie corpaiis
to-day in its contest against the claims OF tne
United Mine Workers of America Generai ouIei-
inteudent w. A May of the Hillside Coai ana iioit
Company and the Pennsylvania Coal Conpans'
which are controlled by the Erie. was on the VIII
ness stand for long time, and gave tese-
mony tending to show that since the advent Oh the
union into the anthracite regions the "ork"ei'
less efficient, that lack of discipnne nau i
suited that IL interfered with authority and limited
the earning capacity of the employees oh cross-
examination Mr. May said he thought that wnere
the company and the disagreed some good
may result by calling in a third party. other VII .
nesses were called who corroborated mech VI
Superintsndent Mays testimony. Wayne Mac
Veagh and Major Everett Warren. counsei TOT the
Erie company expect TO conclude their case TO-
morrow afternoon The Delaware. Lacka"anha
and Western Company will follow the Erie
Chairman Gray is expected to attend to-morro"
sessions.
Suneerintendent Nav testified that his company
has no blacklist and he never heard OF one beng
in existence in the coal regions. There was no oo-
lection to the in its employ organizing for 'he
purpose of making complaints. but the company oio
object to the union now organized, because IL
brought between the and the company, whose
relations should be cordial persons who were not
Interested in the company, and only indirectly IN
the
Captain May produced notice issued by the
union miners which stated that any man Dlacins
more than twelve inches of topping the mine
cars would be fined S. by the union for the nrst Of
fence and SO for the second offence. Between the
strike of 1909 and the late strike there was an
average of one petty strike month at the COM
pany's collieres
Superintendent MAY was emphatic in saying that
the employment Of coal and iron policemen was
most essential in time of strikes. The sher!ns re
said, not to be depended on. and from his eN-
perience. he found that deputy sherihs. as ruie,
sympathized with the strikers. He said he coal
ana iron policemen In the company's employ we're
of good character
The witness also said that had the region been
free from terrorism he believed the company would
have been able to mine coal during the late strike
The company was making progress last September
when the terrorism prevented the company from
going any further. Asked what this progress
amounted to, he replied that the company had Sc
cured from forty TO fifty men out of two thousand
five hundred to blow down coal.
The witness did not think that the 10 per cent ad-
vance given the two years ago was deserved
but he had since changed his mind He did not
think the advance now asked for was reasonable,
and gave -commttal answer when asked II
he might change his mind again two years hence.
Alexander Dryden, of Dunmore, mining engl-
neer, who for many years a mine superin-
terdert gave expert testimony the many I'M
provefnents made in the companys mines in the
last twenty years, and gave history OF the liking
of the so-called miners ton. He said the Pennsyi-
yania Coal Company gives all its miners an oppor-
tunty to earn So 50 day. He corroborated the tes-
timony of Superintendent May regarding the lack
of discipline since the miners union came into the
field and also said the earning capacity of the men
is restricted by the organization.
Samuel ]. Jennings, of Forest City, general
foreman of the company, testified that the occupa-
ton of a miner healthy. and that he never
saw a miner suffering from asthma. He corrob-
Grated testimony already given to the effect that
the relations between the company and the men be-
fore the advent of the union were cordial, and re-
lated instances of the inability of those in author
iy TO always maintain discipline about the mines.
He charged that this due to the union, the men
feeling safe in resisting authority. The witness
said he able to earn IS day as a miner. but
ON cross examination he said he earned only $50 TO
$50 a month when he worked contract miner
He explained that he was not working full time
then In reply to the miners attorney. he admitted
that he did not know what miners asthma was,
and there might be men in his collery who are SUI
feriug from It,
Patrick Mitchell of Pittston, and George MaXey,
OF Forest City. both miners testified that the
union directly responsible for restricting the
earning capacity of the miners Mitchell said he
was fined IS by the union because he worked on
the night of the day the breaker did not run. He
did not pay il and is now out of the union. The
only explanation he could give was that the union
wanted all the men to have an equal distribution
loaded each day than now He threatened to dis;
miss his aborer If he did not load more cars, and
the latter replied If he did he could not get
another 10 fill his place The laborer vas not dis
though he and the laborer were ready to fill more
cars, the drivers ana runners, who belong to the
union, would not deliver them. He complained to
the foreman about the non-delivery OF cars, and
the latter said he was afrd TO discharge the driv-
ers and runners because the other union men might
strike.
Maxey's experience was that young strong man
not permitted to send out more coal than an
older or weaker man. If he did get ten or fifteen
cars ahead of his neghbor he had to stop until the
other man caught up. The president of local
union 10 whom he complained about the matter
said it done that all men would get equal
amount of work.