The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-05

to produce ton Of coal than 1t did
a year ago Witness did not know OF
a place where there were not all the
men I4eeded.
Representative staveIy then asked
some questions
How much do the operators get for
I don't know that replied the wit
ness.
DO you know of any. reason for the
shortage in the coal supply2
The only reason 1 know of IS that
the companies have not furnished PIT
cars enough TO take the coal out OF
the mines as fast as the miners get II
ready"
How many cars does one man gem
orally get2'
Some days he viii get or 7. and
then again perhaps he will get only
or 8"
The witness explained that eacE-
driver has a certain number of entries
from which he has to haul cars, and
each man has to take his turn with the
cars which the driver brings.
WORKS FOR MR. DEVLlN
How many tons can a man get out
in a day?" asked Senator Noftzger-
He ought to average about four
How much of the time would you
have to wait for cars?"
About a third Of the time, should
5udge2"
What shaft is it you work in2
NO. of the Mount Carmel Coal
company
Who owns it?''
&C. J. Devlin is the operator. I don't
know who are the owners
The witness said complaints had been
made to both the pit boss and the su-
perintendent about the scarcity of pit
cars, and the superintendent had prom
ised to remedy the difficulty as soon as
possible.
John Timms. the next witness. works
in shaft No. T. Mount Carmel Coal COM
pany. He testified that he gets SIS cents
a ton. which has been the scale during
the past year The miners work eight
hours a day. Thought he worked about
nine months all told last year Lost
time was caused partially by q shortage
! of cars and partly by having to wait for
places to work when new rooms were
being opened. Did not think the com
pany had made any effort to restrict
the output Of the mines. The company
did not store coal but shipped it as fast
as 1t was mined. There was no scarcity
of labor The miners have to buy their
powder at the company store, at 81 4
key.
w. D. Robinson works for the Weir
Coal company three miles northeast Of
Plttsburg. Can mine from 4 to AZ tons
day in a good days work. Powder
costs about Is cents a day. He worked
about twenty days a month on an aver
age. From February ! to June 1 last
year the miners were idle about half
the time because OF a shortage of rail
road cars. but during the past fall had
not missed more than a day now and
then The retail price of coal to the
miners has been increased from 81 a
ton TO So, but there has been no increase
in wages.
MINERS MAKE $50 A MONTH.
7. w. Siddle. who works for the Pitts
burg and Midway Coal company at Mid
way. was the next witness. His testi-
mony brought out little that was new
until Senator Mcmillan asked
How much does a miner make on a n
average, after deducting the cost of his
powder and other things he pays the
company for2'
Probably $50 a month above the cost
of his powder and house rent
pany?"
How much rent do you pay?"
Six dollars a month"
How many rooms are there in the
wei. there are three .places-you
might call them rooms"
How much does it cost. in your judg-
ment. to build those houses2''
II the company gets its lumber at
wholesale, as I understand it does. the
best houses could be built for. about
And you pay SC a month rent for a
three room house costing about $225?"
Representative stavely then asked
what in the judgment of the witness,
/ caused the coal famine. and Mr. Siddle
made the statement quoted above, that
the shortage is caused bv Kansas coal
going east to help make up the shortage
caused by the anthracite strike.
C. E. Bromlett. who works for the
Southwestern Development company at
Mineral; John ]. Hoye who works for
the Mount Carmel company, and Fran
els Mcdonald, who works for the Col
umbus Coal company at StippvillA.
Cherokee county, also testified, but
brought out nothing new.
SHORTAGE OF CARS.
Henry H. WentzeH who works for the
Home Riverside company at Leaven-
worth. testified that he gets "a cents a
ton for mining coal He said difIH~ulties
in the management of the company had
made a great deal of trouble and caused
a great deal of time to be lost. but that
the company is now doing well and get
ting out as large an output as possible,
/ considering the shortage of railroad
cars.
The miners all seemed very intelli-
gent. Some of them. especially, used
the choicest language, but they were at
all times conservative and careful in
their statements.
The committee adjourned to meet again
at $50 this morning.
EDDEMy AwwAWr