Evening journal., 1903-01-22
.DARROW' s PLAN TO
SETTLE WEIGHTS
Coal Strike Commission En-
livened by Some Inter
esting Testimony
GRAY SCORES PRESIDENT FAHY
Denounced as Tyranny Mr.. Fahy's Re-
fusal to Grant permission" to Con.
tractor to Erect Boiler House Dur
Ing the Strike.

AAAANtilHitil ddus ne ri0NiOhc
ol the coal strike commission yester-
DAY were enlivened by some interest
ing testimony. Tho feature of the
sessions was Chairman Gray's rather
strong remarks I'm commenting on an
incident where District President
lfahy, Of the Miners Union, would not
grant permission" during the strike
to a contractor to erect a boiler house
at a coliiery which was necessary TO
preserve the mine from damage. The
president of the commission said he
hated tyranny, no matter whether It
was praeticed by an OPERATOR a miner
o. anyone else.
The Lehigh Valley Coal Company
opened its case. and the first witness
oclled. John Il. Murray, union mi
ner proved a good witness for the
striking miners. When the commits
sion made It's tour of observation last
fan It visited the Dorrance mine and
met Murray, who was at that time
| president of a local union He told
the commissioners at that time that
he worked about seven hours a day.
Subsequently allegations were made
against him by certain union men that
he had not told the truth to the com
mission. Nothing, however, came Of
the matter
on cross-examination, Marray said
| the company did not deliver enough
cars to the men. and that the union
had no rule restricting the number Of
cars TO be delivered to each miner.
The witness said there would be trou-
bic in the anthracite regions so long
as some OF the companies insist upon
paying the men by the car instead Of
| paying them by weight. He asserted
( that the cars are more like freight
cars than mine cars. The miners, he
continued, think they hold much more
than the two and one-half tons the
company claims they hold.
AT this point counsel for both sides
and the commissioners got into a dis.
cussion on the advisability OF chang
ing the system of pay from car TO
weight.
MT Darrow said: Il think that some
amicable understanding can be reach
ed as 10 this matter of weight. The
witness says that he IS convinced that
there will never be a lasting peace in
the coal fields until miners are paid
by weight instead of by the car. Op-
orators tell rs that they would be put
to great expense TO change from the
car to the weight system of payment,
] ga tt,.t % mould a,ton bo fu,rncofhIo
to make a change at some OF the
breakers. Now, It seems to me, that
II, when the coal is weighed for ship
ment. the miners could be represent
ed by a check weighing boss, and pay
ment should be made pro rata to mi
ners for all coal in excess Of the break
er figures. justice would be done to
everybody concerned.
Il make this as a suggestion merely,
as | have not consulted my clients"
added Mr. Darrow.
Judge Gray replied: Il may say
that some such suggestion was made a
long time ago and has been considered
by the commission.
The commission then decided TO de-
vote an entire day to the considera-
tion Of the car and weight system.
r S. Mercur. a district superlntend-
ent of the Lehigh Valleys collieries
in the Mahanoy and Shamokin dis
trict, gave some interesting testimony,
which livened the proceedings consid-
erably. The men in his collieries
worked on an average, he said, Of
about seven hours a day. The miners,
he continued. will not produce any
more coal as a result of President
| Mitchell's "hurry.up" order. They
claim there is no coal shortage, and
that Il was a scheme of the operators
to show the men are earning large
wages.
Mr. Mercur told of the troubles in
keeping the water from accommodating
In the mines during the strike. He
said the company had contracted with
man to build a boiler house for
Packer Colliery. No. 8. The strikers
refused to permit this to be done;
they would not even permit the mate
rial to be taken from the railroad
cars. Finally the contractor wrote to
District President Fahy, asking per-
mission to erect the boiler house, and
the labor leader replied: "On account
of existing conditions cannot grant
you the permission which, as I under
stand from your letter, that you re-
quest"
The letter further stated that Mr..
Tahy was willing to meet him and dis
cuss the matter.
Chairman Gray asked the witness If
he did not apply to Mr.. Fahy. and
he replied he did not. The president
of the commission sarcastically asked
the witness why he did not. with due