The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-11
AT WORK
MINERS PRESENT cLAIms AND
 OPERATORS ANSWER.
Believed That Evidence win All Be in and the Argument sConclud- ,. ed in Two Weeks
 Other News.

l tors in this State began its work this morning in the Council Chamber. The scene at the opening was a most interest," I ing one the attendance being large, many prominent citizens of Birmingham, the Birmingham district and elsewhere being present.
 Judge Gray of Delaware is chairman of the board, and Charles Neill. who is pro- lessor of political economy at the Catho- lie University at Washington. is the re- corder. The Council Chamber is arranged conveniently. The proceedings will be taken down by aecourt stenosrapher. Ed- ward Flynn, President of the Alabama district organization of the United Mine Workers of America, represents the min- CTS before the commission. while the ope- rators have several attorneys, among them Walker Percy and Tillman, Caba- miss and weakiey. Benjamin F. Tracy, former Secretary of the Navy. promi- nent attorney and Republican of New York, is with the representatives of the operators and is taking part in the proceedings.
 The miners are considered prosecutors. and, according to the agreement. will first present their case briefly. then have an answer from the operators. Then the miners will have three days In which to present their case through witnesses and otherwise. Then the operators will have five days in which to answer and present their side of the case. Then the miners will have two days to close. This means ten days in all. The arguments will probably complete the two weeks for the arbitration.
 Mir. Flynn of the miners was the first to agree toi this proposition as to time. ''-' The operators. conceded a little later and the formal presentation of the miners ell AA fol1 a vyoo shxyH Ar EsIrVrr It. was typewriter and a copy was given to each member, of the Board It went on to tell of the arbitration board and what was expected of it. It told of the
 miners asking for the board of arbitra-, ton and expressed, confidence in the re- suit. The miners ask for s cents per ton advance on the wage scale, on both the | maximum and the minimum and corre- | spending advance for the day labor and dead work; eight hours to constitute a I day; semi-monthly pay days f..-s The statement went into deails as to the
 claims. It narrated the manner in which the wage scale was fixed, based on the I selling price of iron. The showing made known the fact. that the annual state
 ments of the Shoss- Sheffield Ste4l and | Iron Company had iron being manufac- tured at $9sper ton; Tennessee Coal. Iron
 and Railroad Company at ss52 per ton. | year and a. half was brought | D, and 1t
 was shown that there had not been an | increase in the advances in wages as in
 the price of iron. The statement showed | the selling prices of steam coal, how
 prices were down to 70 and 30 cents per
 ton when the mining wage was 70 and 45 cents, and now at 55 cents per ton, the
 largest consumers the railroads, had to
 pay $1.2o and SIPS per ton for their steam
 coal.
 A table of advances in wages in mining
 coal made throughout the country was
 given, showing that at no place was
 there less than 6 cents advance made
 In a nutshell. the advance was asked far | on these grounds: Advance in sellil2R price of coal; selling price of iron; large
 profits made by the, corporations accord
 ing to their annual statements: iron and
 steel market conditions; organization of operators and concentration in past i've years of properties; cost of living now | higher than ever
 The statement of MT. Flynn gave a com
 parison of the day wages paid elsewhere | The eight hour per day claim was
 touched on. It was stated that the pro- l duction in States where eight hours con-
 stitute dSy was larger than in States
 where ten hours constituted a day. A
 list of the States where the eight-hour | uay prevails was gwen.
 The semi-monthly day claim was next presented. It stated that the monthly pay days placed the miners at a disad-
 vantage, compelling them to do their
 trading in the company's stores and l causing the miners to get in debt. The statement was forcible one, so 1t | Is believed by those who heard it. The I attorneys for the operators then asked l time for preparation of theie showing, l and recess was taken until this afternoon Walker Percy this afternoon presented
 the reply of the operators to the formal
 presentation of the demands of the
 miners. In this reply & request was
 made for several questions to be arbi-
 trated, among them being a readajust- l ment of day labor wages, dfferential be-
 tween pick and machine mining, limita-
 tion as to number of days worked, request
 that bumpers engineers and other com pany men not be members of the union. provisions to prevent stoppage of work and dlfferential in size of coal. It was
 a lengthy statement
 President Ed Flynn of the miners
 organization raised objection as to the
 matters brought up for arbitration by | the operators, contending that it had
 been agreed upon that the only things to
 be arbitrated were eight hours a day, 5
 cents increase in wage scale, semi-month- l " pay days, prices paid for deep or nar-
 row work, difference of machine and Dick
 mining, number of days to work, read
 1ustment of day wages and differential of
 Pratt Mines and other places Judge
 Gray announced that the board would
 take this objection under consideration
 and asked for witnesses to be placed on
 the stand. President Flynn announced
 that no witnesses were on hand for the
 demand of eight hours a day beyond the
 formal demand nor for the increase in | wages except the formal demand with
 tables of figures as paid elsewhere and
 copies of proceedings of conventions and contracts in other States.
 President Ed Flynn, William Grady of
 Pratt City and William Morris of Vivian
 took the stand in reference to the semi | monthly pay day ,an attack being made on the commissary or company stores, 1t being the object to show that semi-month- ly pay days would obviate the stores. The attorneys for the operators cross questioned the witness
 The board adjourned until tomorrow
 when the miners will continue their pre-
 sentation. Indications point to the entire
 work being complete inside of a week or
 ten days.
 New Gadsden Furnace.
 President T. c. Bush of the Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron Company. to-
 day announced that as soon as coal and coke sufficient to warrant it could be