The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-11-15
WHAT MINERS WANT
Continued from Page ~

4 rZL IL CIV "a 40 SOAAA I'll
D-5sr Of Business today. / take il,
Ervi,ss a full discussion and a full
|ygIzEasion upon any matter that any
brE.EEgG or representative here may
ENIsh 10 present TO the o mission.
IL yol wish 10 make a statement pre-
E.oa5 20 the arrival of your written
|Ezse4eat. l take it the Committee
wU@.G De only LOO Siad to listen TO
FL. LEWIS:
honorable Members: With that
iuu.e=L4nuIng, and with your perm.s-
s-uu, rot a. q cItlzen OF west Var
g.4.a. Dat as a c.t.zen or his codnIy,
a-- = representative OF the employ
lee, no are vitality interested IN The
Ina! G5i.DeraC!ou OF tbs honorable
IuU.y, ! snaII present a Ie. things, Of
le.e- lOr your consideration. The
ICe~ts.Jg-Ient or the min4nS industry
L eSs Virginia n IN every oLher
sta,e here coal IS mined establishes
IN C~o-senL-on OF "heLher the occu-
PATCH OK the miner Is a dangerous
one o. act. 1 believe that WI viii ali
as.es mac the Occupation OIL the
Ll.Ly "Orher IS the most
VI ANY calling, Iraue or Occupation in
the country, and Tor hat reason ey-
cry facility that can be secured by
reasonable enort Il legislative en-
acJ.HcLL should be used IN regard to
- - e-S NAS ASSlS I'll
Who work IN these mines. Keeping
il mad that those safeguards should
be OF such q nature as TO protect lire
and lID!U and not Interfere with the
natural development OF the indus
try, 1 beheve, what l have
learned IN reading various docu-
neuLs, hat the Chief Executive of
West Virginia, Governor IA msonJ
has realized the importance OF doing
Something aIong these lines. II
there 4 been any doubt in my nina
as to whether or not he was con-
YIIced that something should be
done TO prOtecC the mime worker
thai doubt would be removed iron.
hy Mind IN the statement OF the Gov
ernor when he states, very plainly,
that in considering the adoption OF a
niIn.nS law we should nrSC consider
the necessity OF projecting lite; and,
o. co.rse, secondly, roIecIIn prop
erty. Ihat reasoning expresses the
sIt"ation as l Understand Nov.
What do we understand by protect
ms LIE! l understand it, and those
l represent understand that to be,
that every safeguard should be pro-
V-ued by law TO reduce as lar as pos
S.Die 10 the ve;y 10 ~eSt Il the
loss OF lIfe in coal mining. We are
not Claiming that II is possible BY
legislative enactment to prevent the
wal ~ lDdI "OulN
be mpoSs. bic, Tor the reason that al
ter We have Il legislation CIV
ms US certain protection, REQUIRING
he eLlpIoyer TO do certain things,
th%Fe aIe cerLaln responsibilities
When must rest uJon those who are
"OrhinS IN names. In other words,
We could get no law that would pre-
veat IL hundred or two hundred
pounds OF STATE from falling when
there was no post under it to keep II
Up.
We value too much the develop
ment OF the mining industry to hold
Inc operator or the NINE responsible
Tor tbs. We believe that the law
should provide not only that there is
su..c.ent AR travelling through the
"orKInS places OF the NINE 10 re-
move BACK damp and to remove any
other impurities; but in oroer tha.
that air Will be forced to the work
ing place We believe there should be
a provision in the law not only to re-
ouire a certain amount of air, but
t"e.e shouid ue u provision in the
iaw requiring the members OF the
INNING department to enforce the
law to the extent that they would
nave The riSnC 20 co.upeI Inc Lien
VINO owned the mine to keep within
the law.
We believe thai in order to pro-
~ -
10 have as much pure air to travel
through the working places, n as
'!ucn artlIicIal alr, as can be provid-
ed. BeL~ cen the room the break
throughs are essential to that, and
naturally the continuity of break
from one to another, would
nave some effect as to the purity OF
tle air. The law now e
IhrouShs to be made every Lou feet;
.hey should be made every fifty feet.
IL IS true the employers Will say hat
dauS TO the cost OF ~prOduction; that
re admit 1t is true, on the other
hand, that it adds to the purity of the
ar. and TO hat extent is not an i'm
material matter, at least to the NAH
"Ao works In the mine.
We believe there should be every
iaciilty Tor The men who travel in
ana out of the mine, in such a man
hef that they will not come in con-
tact not only with the natural dan
ger or the NINE but with the machln-
SF IN the haulaSe way The Law
p'uVides Tor these things, and We
believe IN strict enforcement of the
ia"; and in considering those things.
or Chairman, we realize there are
I"o SIDES to this question of revising
tbs Law.
We realize that while the mine
WORKERS have their ideas in connec-
tton with the matter, that the oper-
dtorS also have theirs. Where there
IS d difference of opinion it is the
purpose OF the Commission, IS We