The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1903-01-10

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Philadelphia, Jan. io.-rhc non union
men having closed their case. and the coal
companies opened their side of the CON
ttovctsy today before the strike commits
sion Chairman Gray is still confined to
his home IN Wilmington. suffering from A
cold, and General Wilson again presided
The proceedings were opened toda, hy
the Delaware Il Hudson company. through
Ms counsel James II. Torrcy. OF Scranton.
In presenting the case OF the company
he represents, MIR Torrcy 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 behalf oi the re-
spondcnts having already been made.
shall at this time coninc mysclf so far as
practicable TO brief statement oi the
particular matters which it Is expected
to prove relating TO the case of the Della
ware Hudson company. We shall prove
the charter powers of the company as
set iorth IN its answer already filed with
the commission by which il will appear
that this was the first company to cntcr
upon the business OF mining and trans
porting ont of the state its anthracite
coal. We shall show that for many years
up to and beginning OF the 1000 strike.
the relations between the company and its
employees had been friendly and har.
monious, and that the inception oi such
degree OF hostility as has since marked
those relations was coincidcni with the
entry into the anthracite field of the
organization Of the United Mine Workers.
So Tar as relates TO the formal de
mands pending before this commission, il
Is only fair 10 this respondent 10 state
that IT Is IN the position unusual even
IN debate and practically iuadmissibc in
late proceedings Of being compelled TO
prove negative.
After spending weeks of valuable time.
the case upon the part OF the miners was
closed without the production Of any
material evidence 10 Substantiatc any OF
their claims. With almost infinite labor
and pains and by the aid of an army Of
clerks and accountants a vast array Of in
formation has been accumulated for the
use Of the commission with reference 10
the wages and conditions OF employmcnt
OF our employees.
by these statements and from other
testimony which will be offered il will
be demonstrated that there Is no merit
III the first demand for ~ per cent in
crease upon the prices paid during the
year OF 1901 10 employees performing con-
tract work, I, will be shown that both
the rates paid and the annual earnings
upon this kind OF work are larger than
are paid to the bituminous miners for
similar work and the occupations rcquir-
ing skill and training in the region We
are satisfied the commission will find
there is no manual employment requiring
so little training or skill the exposure TO
so little risk Of health Of life and the oc-
cupation OF 50 small a portion OF the
working day which is so literally COM
pcnsatcd IN wages as the work Of the an
thracite miners In this connection we
shall show that the employment is not
extra hazardous and is more than ordin-
arily healthful. We shall show that since
the last increase Of wages there has been
no material advance in the cost OF liy-
ing. We shall negative the unsupported
claim that the children Of the miners are
forced to work at an early age by sub
mittinR a list Of employees whose boys are
working with the annual earnings OF the
parents, which average about $40.
AS to Eeht-Hour Day.
"To the second demand for an eight
hour day for company men, the evidence,
which has already been outlined. will TO
a large extent, apply In addition there
to, we shall submit statements which will
show that even during the period when
coal was most in demand and the collier
les were operated to the limit OF their
capacity the breakers operated an aver
age Of less than eight hours per day, for
reasons partly due TO the voluntary action
Of the men and partly to causes beyond
the control either Of the company or the
men. We have prepared a schedule Of
wages, number of days worked and the
annual wages OF all company men and
boys, the general average being, for men,
$si8o5 and for boys $Io6.o3, which is
higher average than obtained in other SIM
liar employments.
"In this connection we shall show that
the only tabulated statement offered in
evidence by the mine workers, purportng
to give comparison of the earnings of
company men in the bituminous and an
thracte fields, is misleading in its scope,
full Of inaccuracies in detail and false
and misleading IN conclusion.
Weighing Coal.
Bearing upon the third demand of tho
miners for the weighing of coal aud the
payment by the ton for mining, we shall
show that for many years this company
has paid at some of its mines by weight
and at others by the car. We shall show
the actual product In marketable coal, of
units of weight and per car and that a
practical uniformity of wages resulting
from both systems. We shall show that
so far as concerns our own employees no
complaint has ever been made directly TO
the company that either system was unfair
or resulted in inadequate or unequal re-
Enumeration for the labor actually per-
formed.
"We have claimed in our answer that
the commission cannot, under the terms Of