Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1914-03-12

to report same to the Safety Commits
sion in Columbus.
One of the rulings that has given so
much trouble in the past is the one
which requires the men to sign a mu-
tual agreement with the Company be-
fore they can ride in and out Owing
to the fact that SO many of our mem
bers think that by signing the agree
ment they sign away their rights to
any claim for damages in case they
get hurt while riding in and out they
refuse to sign. This phase Of the ques-
ton was taken up by a committee who
were Delegates to our last State Con
vention composed of Mr. Joe Hora,
Fritz Kratz and Thos. Fowler, with
the Industrial Commission, Attorney
General and others, and was decided
that it in no way took away from the
miners any o ftheir rights but was to
establish certain rules that the Indus!
trial Commission believed would tend
toward more safety, and was In COM
phance with the existing mining law.
Another thing that has come up
quite frequently during the last scale
year was the miners requesting for an
interpr Of what ajjroximate
length posts meant and at some places
was the cause of closing the mine
down, the miners claiming the opera:
tors were not complying with the
law. Owing to- the various actions of
the different inspectors in regard to
this took the matter up with the
Mining Department in Columbus and
received the following reply from Mr..
]. C. Davies 81
Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 20, 1914.
Mr.. William Roy, .-s..
Bridgeport, Ohio.
Dear Sir: ann in receipt Of your
letter Of the 18th inst relative to the
approximate length of props. We
|. ave had numerous inquiries dn regard
to this matter, and therefore rednes-
! ted an option of the Attorney Gener-
al, which he rendered lis on April 18th
of last year.
| The summary of this opinion is the
definition of. the word approximate,
which is FMear in character; nearly
approaching accuracy or correctness,
applied to this situation, i. e.-that a
miner should be supplied with props
as near the exact length as is posi-.
BILE, considering the variation in the
height Of the coal. He further states
| that this ruling should not be applied
to a district where the height of the
coal is uniform, but in such a case
props of the exact. length should be
supplied.
[ Trusting that this may be Of some
assistance to you, am,
Very truly yours,
J.~G DAVIES,
| Chief Deputy.
| Owing toNnumer0uS complaints that
this Interpretation is not carried out,
would Suggest the delegates take
| special note Of this SO the Local I'm
/ ions will know exactly the meaning
| of this law as interpreted by the At
torney General of Ohio. 4
Now my friends, know that strict
enforcement of all laws in segard to
safety will place us to some incon-
yentepce and that we viii have to do
some things personally In the future
that, he at times think are unjust, yet
/, thiAk that in view OF the fact thai Ia
/ 1918 there being 166 Of our fellow
workers brought home from the mines
fatally injured. and in most of these
! cases they had pahsed to the great
beyond without one last look upon the
! faces of those they loved, in addition
Ito the hundreds of less serious acct
.identg. ] know that you will agree with
4 me that It Is our duty to do all in our
i power to promote more safety in the
l mines in lordr to minimize this de-
iplorable condition.
I Political Action,
Again my fellow workers call your
attention to the great need of solidaT-
1ity upon the political field, while
do not at this time believe It would
Ibe wise thing for our organization
Il to try by any r0nstitutto nai enactment
to force any one TO support OF belong
Ito any particuinF political party q do
II he heIieev Al TO ne our duty to enllnhteu
or1' membership as ito. the meaning
and purpos q al political parties,