Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-01-10
Coal Companies
Open Thei1 Side
De1awore and Hudson Company Undertakes 10 Sbow That
Foo dhany Years, Up 10 Beginning Of Stake in 1900,
Relations Bef@een Company and Envelopes Were F5end-
y Trouble Began WIZ AdUenfof United Nine Workers.

Philadelphia, Jan lO.-The non-union
men having closed their case. the coal
companies opened their SIDE Of the CON
troversy today before the strike com
mission. Chairman Gray Is stlll con-
fined to his home IN Wilmington. suf-
fering from cold. and Gen. Wilson
again presided.
The proceedings We're opened today
by the Delaware & Hudson company,
through It's counsel, james H. Torrey
Of Scranton. In presenting the case
Of the company he represents Mr. Tor
rey first delivered an address indicating
what the company would try TO prove.
lie spoke in part as follows:
"a general opening Of the case on be-
half Of the respondents having already
been made ] shall at this time confine
myself, 80 far as practicable. TO a brief
statement OF the particular matters
which IL is expected 70 prove and reply
relating to the case Of the Delaware q
Hudson company. We shall prove the
charter power Of the company, set
forth I'm It's answer already filed with
the commission by which il viii appear
that this was the first company to
enter upon the business Of mining and
transporting out of the state It's an
thracte coal. We shall show that for
many years up to the beginning of the
1900 strike the relations between the
company and lis employees had been
friendly and harmonious and that the
inception OF such degree Of hostility as
has since marked those relations was
COnCident with the entry into the an
lhraCte field Of the organization Of the
United Mine Workers,
so far as relates 10 the formal de-
mands pending before this commission.
q is only fair to this respondent TO
state that II is In the position unusual
even IN debate and practically inadms-
sable in late proceedings Of being COM
PEELED to prove a negative.
After spending weeks Of valuable
time the case upon the part of the min
ers was closed withouu the production
Of any material evidence 90 substanti-
utc any Of their claims With almost
Infinite labor and pains and by the aid
OF an army Of clerks aud accountants
vast array OF information has been ac-
cumulated for the use of the commits
sion with reference 10 the wages and
conditions Of employment of our en-
ployes.
by these statements and from other
testimony. which win be offered, II Will
be demonstrated that there is no merit
In the first demand for "A 20 per cent
increase upon the prices paid during
the year of 1901 to employees performing
contract work. II viii be shown that
both the rates paid and the annual
earnings upon this kind Of work are
larger than are paid TO the bitumnous
miners for similar work and the occu-
pations requiring skill and training in
the region. We are satisfied the COM
mission will find there Is no manual
employment recurring so little training
or skill the exposure 10 so little risk
OF health, Of life and the occupation Of
so small a portion Of the working day,
which Is so literally compensated in
wages as the work Of the anthracite
miners. In this connection we shall
show that the employment Ia 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 20 work al an early
age by submitting a list Of employees,
whose boys are working with the an
nual earnings Of the parents, which
average about $40.
ITO the second demand for an eight
hour day for company men, the evil
dence which has already been outlined
will. to a large extent, apply In addi-
tlon thereto. we shall submit state
ments which will show that even dur
ing the period when coal will be most
I'm demand. aud the colieries were OPP
Grated 10 the limit Of their capacity,
the breakers operated an average OF
less than eight hours per day. for rea-
sons partly due 10 the voluntary action
of the men and partly to causes be-
yond the control either OF the company
or thu men. We have prepared "a
schedule showing the wages he num-
her of days worked and the annual
wages Of all company men and boys,
the general average being for men
$685.. and for boys Slg6g3 which Is a
higher average than obtained In other
similar employments.
IN this connection we shall show
that the only tahulatCd statement Of
fered In evidence by the mine workers
purpOrting 20 give a comparison OF the
earnings Of company men In the
bltuminous and anthracite fields Is mis-
leading IN ITS scope, full Of inaccura-
Giles I'm detail, and false and misleading
I'm conclusion,
Bearing upon the third demand Of
the miners for the weighing OF coal
and the payment by the ton for mining
vc shall show that Tor many years
this company has paid az some Of tts
mines hy weight and at others by The
car We shall show the actual product
I'M marketable coal Of units Of weight
and per car and that q practical uui-
formity Of wages resulting from both