Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-05
Miners Testify They Load
All They Have.
MORE BIG CARS NEEDED
OPERATORS CONTENTION Az TO
OUTPUT DISPUTED.
Manager May Declares the Erie Com
pany Cannot Get Material to
Build More Cars.

PHILADELPHIA. February 3. - The
striking mine workers continued to present
evidence today in rebuttal before the coal
strike commission. The first three witnesses
were Philip Clifford Of the Law colliery.
John Sheridan, Avoca, and VIM. Atweil,
Forest City. all Of whom testified that 1t
was the coal companies. and not the miners.
who were restricting the output OF coal. All
testified that they did not get enough cars
for days work. &
Atwel claimed that some of the miners In
the consolidated colliery at Moosic are dis
eliminated against.
w. A. May Of Scranton, general manager
OF the Erie company, which operates the
consolidated colliery. was in the court room,
and at the request of the commission was
asked to take the witness stand to tell what
he knew of the alleged discrimination. He
said the company tried to treat all men
alike and there was no discrimination.
Shortage Of Mine Cars.
He admitted there had been q shortage OF
mine cars, because Of the difficulty OF the
company in getting material to build cars.
Shortage Of large railroad cars was also q
factor in the men not getting all the cars
they can load.
In reply to a question by his own counsel,
he said that driver boys do not always dis
tribute cars equally. The company has
tried to discipline them, but the trouble
still exists. He admitted 1t was bad state
OF AFFAIRS. So Tar as he knew the men have
made no complaints to him regarding the
alleged discrimination in the distribution OF
cars.
The miners counsel tried to show that the
company Disseminated in favor OF non
union men. but Mr. May said he did not
know that this was the case. He said.
however, that the company was standing
by the men who stood by the company dur
ing the strike. In reply to Chairman Gray,
Mr.. May said that II the non-union men
were favored it would be a bad thing for
the discipline Of the men In the mine.
Load All the Cars They Get.
James OGara, a miner In the Jermyn No.
I colliery Of the Delaware and Hudson
Company, sah nine cars were a shift, but
the men were able to get only six cars.
Richard Stevenson Of the same colliery
and Patrick Tooaan Of the Coal Brook coll
liery Of the Delaware and Hudson at Car.
bondale said they load adj the cars they
get. Toolan also charged that some Of
the miners are Disseminated against In the
distribution Of cars.
Toolan, in answer to a question by one
OF the commissioners, said 1t appeared to
him that there were too many men in the
mines. Chairman Gray said: That has
been running IN. my mind for good many
weeks. It seems that 100000 men want
to do the work that "a. 900 men can do"
A dozen witnesses from almost as many
different colliertes testified to the failure
of the companies teegive them q sufficient
number OF cars - i-..'.;5i
James j. Burke, who. was coal and iron
policeman at the William AZ col1iery OF
the Lehigh Valley Coal Company at Dur
yea, told OF finding the body of an italian
outside the colliery stockade on July l..
He said Henry2Baaley, a fellow policeman,
acknowledged having shot at the Italian.
Burke was still on the stand when a re-
cess was taken