The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-11-15

IL Is necessary that they shouI5 A.
Tor their protection, for the genernI
sStesy, both of lives and property
n mime BOSS and mine inspector can.
~ ~. e n every room In the mine,
Out IL there is a hearty combination
ana cooperation between miner
mine boss and mine departmert
each one watching himself and look,
ing 10 the interests of his neirhbor.
you VIII have conditions much bel,
yer, Permit a complaining power IN
the miner equal to the indiyidunl
who has charge, and you will eIfmin.
ATE a great many OF these dangers.
We have knowledge Of indiyidur'
VINO complained on OF tho air.
ana they were told. You are too
smart. You get and get quick" We
lave o of individuals who have
compiained and they were told 10
Get we do not blame the COM
panies for those things as n whole.
because n company is compelled to
stand by Its foreman. but you DENY
to the men who are working there
an equal authority as far as the com
p.atninS power is concerned, aud You
destroy the effectiveness of the law.
And why? II n single Individual
! as a complaint. and he complains
to h mine foreman, and he Is dis
charged, the superintendent fails To
see the necessity or making an in.
v~estigatfon on the complaint OF ar
individual who is reported to him as
4 disturbing element in that COM
munltY, but If n hundred men select
n proper representative, and they
omplain the superintendent is IL
duty bound, to make an inyesttra-
ton. and II anything is found wrong
to correct it. These are questions
which should also be considered.
Whenever the mine workers are de-
Mod tha rirht ~ a,,~
operation among themselves for their
own protection, then 1t will take II
great many more mine inspectors,
IN tact. one in every mine continual
~ employed, to see that the law is
enforced. We recognize that in this
state, and l know IL to be true, and
so informed the commission, and the
operators and miners, that there are
companies who are carrying out the
provisions today that we are ask
Ing FOR. There are companies who
have recognized the ~practicability of
the measures we are asking for, and
have them in force on their proper
ties, and II in the wisdom of large
interests in this State, they have
found 1t necessary to adopt these
rules for the protection of heir men
and their properties, is It wrong,
unjust or injurious that the whole
apply that which the most practical
have found and demonstrated to be
necessary? These arc the only
things we want. The only thing
| wanted to correct, Mr.. Chairman,
was the statement in regard to my
figures. and IL anybody doubts the
of my statement as to the
number of men leaving this State
with a certificate of practicability,
and the number of men brought In
to It, an Investigation of the COM
m n u ~ hnnlyo &c \ onfI H@ro,o ain
show who is wrong, and II an inves-
tiSation Is desired, l will agree that
the expenses of hat Investigation
If on the findings OF the proper body
to ascertain the correctness of my
figures, it is found that | am incor-
cent, shall all be paid by me. l will
bear the expense of the investigation
If ] am incorrect.
GOV. FLEMING:
Another word, hat is suggested by
what Mr.. Nugent has said, and hen
| must go. ! am not objecting SER
iously to anything that | now have
in mind that las been proposed here,
except the last matter to which Mr..
Nugent refers. deny that it would
be wise to enact a law that would
require IN investigation or examina-
ton of a miner before he can be en-
Dloyed in the mine. 1t is not practi-
cal in the soft Goa regions. 1t may
be IN the hard coal regions. Miners
in the hard coal regions go from
mine to mine. as ] understand It,,
and never come to the soft coal re-
gion, and soft coal miners cannot go
to the hard coal region, as / under
stand 1t, or If they go there cannot
get in. because OF the conditions are
so different. / noticed, and call at
tention to the admission of the last
gentleman who spoke, to the fact
that the men are leaving this State
for other reasons than on account OF
the dangers incident to mining here.
] made the suggestion that there
didn't know what 1t was. The gen
tleman refers to five hundre fam
lies who left this State, not because
the mines are dangerous at all, but
because they could not get work. !
do not know anything about that.
do not know the locality, nor do ]
know the mine or the cause, but
there is an admission hat they did
not leave because the mines are un-
safe, and my understanding Is that
you are here solely, not to lesislate
or propose legislation further than
for the safety of the mines, the safe
ty of the employees, n reasonable
rules and regulations and laws TO
make the mines more safe than they
are. l ran see now why perhaps
many of those twenty thousand men
left. and they left for other causes
| am glad to know that for another
H. - Z.