The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-01-23
COAL STRIKE EVIDENCE
Commission Is Still Hearing Wit
nesses at Philadelphia.
ANOTHER CoMPANY'S CASE
A. III. McCIintoc11 Makes the Opening
Address In Behalf of the Lee
high and wiII<esbarre
Coal Company.

Philadelphia, Jan. 22.-Thomas Thorn
as, district superintendent of the Lee
high Valley Coal company, was the
first witness called before the coal
strike commission. Mr. Thomas stated
that prior to the strike of 1900 the COM
pany had no difficulty in getting the
contract miners to produce extra cars
of coal when necessary to meet the de-
mand After the strike, he said, the
company was unable to get the men to
load more than a certain number of
cars each day.
r. S. Mercur a district superintend-
ent of the Lehigh Valley company, who
had previously been on the witness
stand, was recalled for cross examina-
ton. Mr.. Mercur said that in very cold
weather the production of coal is some
times seriously curtailed because OF
the shutdown of the breakers. He
thought ten hours a day was not too
long for miner to stay in the mines.
In reply to Commissioner Parker, Mr..
Mercur said that as "a result of the late
strike No. 5 packer shaft, one lift in
No. packer, one lift in No. 2 packer
and one lift in No. packer are still
under water, thus preventing the en-
ployment of about 600 men and boys.
During the cross examination of SUI
perintendent Mercur representatives of
the miners informed the commission
that in cases where contract miners
bid for work the contract is given to
the lowest bidder In one instance a
saloon keeper who was not employed
in the mines was awarded a contract
to cut coal. He never entered the
mine, but had other men do the work
for him. V a.t..
Statement by McClintock.
In opening the case of the Lehigh
and WilkesbarTe Coal company A. III.
McClintock, it's counsel, said:
"The Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Ceal
company is the largest owner and les
see of coal lands in the Wyoming re-
gion and is the largest taxpayer in
Luzerne county. No attack or COM
plants have been made before the
commission against the company of
consequence whatever All of our min
ers who have applied are back at
work, we have refused no one, dis
eliminated against nobody, and we
had during the year 1901, which our
statement covers, and have now work
for more miners than were then or at
present are in our employ.
tour statements will show that our
men earn fair wages, equal, we think,
to those paid by any company in the
district wherein our mines are situated
and higher than the rates of pay of
many employers of like labor. We pay
by the car and have always done so.
We deem it the fairest method. a
"Our system of docking is the same
as is in vogue throughout the region,
and for the year 1901 our statement of
the docking at all our collieries shows
that it amounted to $50 per cent of the
cars dumped at the breakers. We have
no check docking bosses. We do not
object to their appointment by the
men, but we have never been requested
to permit their employment.
four relations with our men have al
ways been of the most pleasant charac-
ter They have ever been free, indi-
vidually or by committee, to call upon
the foreman, division superintendent or
general superintendent with any griev-
ances or request, and no man has ever
been Disseminated against for so APP
pearing for other causes.
30 r. Al,
regard, during the period between the
general strike of 1900 and 1902 we
have found it much more difficult to
control our men, and we have had thir-
teen local strikes in our mines. This
spirit of restlessness shows its effect in
the loss of efficiency of the men as well
as in the time lost by reason of these
interferences with regular and sys-
tematic labor" al