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

COMMISSION
n; Roam spoke as follows.
az. Chairman and Gentlemen of
70 In MISSION: arrived here this
iS,,S.l ooa ana come over to the State
tioiss ana have listened very atteu-
Livery 10 The arguments coming from
ooSh SIDES OF the house since i ar
!0- y stranger to mining Noald
imagine. If he were 10 sit hare ana
800. 70 the arguments mads by the
parS!ss on The floor, from the arya-
III MADE by tbs parties or the
lhat the operators on this side
" the mouse were trying to have
laws by which they could XII thsIr
miners, and that the miners were ar
SUING 20 get laws 10 keen them from
kiAnS them. The operators say that
W are trying to get miners; the
miners say that the miners are leav-
ms Ihs state. think that your
honorable body intends to try and
aEalL up some laws that Will be
beneficial TO the miners and opera
cors alike.
II Is a fact that a well regulated
mine and we'll ventilated mine,
mlHo properly cared for, Is the
cheapest mine to operate II there
> any operator that foryets himself
SO tar as to think that by poor Ven
alacon OF his property he is saving
-@-S--SH llllSlIACN.
~lIl not take into consideration your
lives, the lives of the miners in thar
mine, he should take into considera-
lon the stock for which he pays hi.
hard cazh- y mule requires Sufli-
e.ent air to live. to breathe, to work,
much less man. There is no rea-
son Tor not properly vsntilating the
mines. l have in my charge in the
different states, as great a number
of IninpS ba,. yp .
United States, with the exception OF
one. and hope ana believe that each
and every one of those mines are
properly ventilated. II they were not
and l should know il through any
source, would not ask or wait for
The Mine Inspector to close them
down; i would close them down my
self until such time as they could
% properly ventilated so that meE
Gould work.
| have worked in the mines my
self, and have worked in mines that
.ere not ventilated. l have worked
way ahead of the air. ! have work
I'd where the smoke remained all the
afternoon if I should happen to fire
At noon. l have worked in mines
"heros you could not fire during
working hours: If you did you were
smoked out, but | do not think that
here are many of those mines to-
lay
From the argument here. you
would believe that we are going
backward, that we are not improving
the mining OF coal in this coun-
.ry. l want to say to you that there
irst mines were opened in England,
hat has kept pace with the Ameri-
;an mines. We are ahead of the
world in mining. There is no ex-
position in any country that can pro-
luce the machinery for ventilating
hat We produce in America.
l have read over the requests of
he miners; they ask for proper ven
citation; l grant they should have
here 1 notice that the law goes on
20 say, or the law that they ask for
goes on 10 say how the mines should
1e bratticed, with concrete, brick, o.
cement walls. Why should you ask
4 company to build brick or concrete
walls in portions of the mines where
iuch walls are not necessary? WHY
should you ask them to go to tn
expense and spend great deal OF
money fer something that would moi
benefit you?
have mines in other states, and
some of them are very gaseous, in
!. h.ch we built brick and concreLe
walls. The State laws do not demand
of US that we build those brick or
concrete walls, but for the safety
and for the advantage in case of &C
:ident, we build them of our own
accord along the main inlet and out
let, bat it is all unnecessary to build
1r-ck or concrete walls in right an
gle entries or entries in which you
york your rooms. You know that
he life of those entries is very short
IS compared with the life of It's
main entries of the mine, and after
you have exhausted that portion Of
the mine there is nothing left but
he brick and concrete walls. ANY
good board stoppings placed in one
of those entries properly built, Will
last the life of any ordinary righl
anglo entry from the main.
l believe that this Honorable body
simply wants to get at that which
will protect the life and limb of the
miner, the property of the operator,
and avoid as much as possible any
in mines, if it were possible for them
gentlemen that back in the early
days and in mines which we hear q
great deal of talk about, where they
have what is called the Certified
man that there is today, has been
in the past, and no doubt will con-
tinue into the future as many disas-
tiers as there has been in any other
State whsre they have not the Ger
titled man."
Recently. in England. few days