The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-02-12
ASK THAT MINED OA[BEPADR]R
By IT'S WEIGHT AND'NOT BY CAR

%cut.throat game. One West Virginia
operator undertaking another West
Virginia operator frequently his next
door neighbor. In such a competition.
the operator who pays by weight
claims, and Justly so. that their cost
of production per ton is from 10 to
30 per cent greater than the operators
paying by the car. These operators
hold with reason that this Is unfair.
so 1t becomes not only a moral wrong,
to force the miner to load coal by the
car, but 1t is an economic wrong be-
cause it forces the price OF West vir.
gfnia coal down in the markets Of the
country when 1t ought to be up, be-
cause West Virginia has the best coal
In the world. Hence the system OF
paying by the car is morally and eco:
nomically wrong and ought to be abol.
ished.
Commercially Wrong.
First. The fact that all coal compa-
MES sell coal by weight and not by
measure is an unanswerable reason
why coal should likewise be paid for
by weight, and not by measure, to
the miner who produces the coal.
Second. The fact that everyone
who handles the coal after it leaves
the room of the incorporating com.
pany. selling agent, brokers, wholesale
and retailers. sells 1t by weight, and
that the consumer has no choice, but
must buy it by weight, proves beyond
question that It is commercially wrong
to force the miner who produces the
coal to load 1t by the car.
Third. All railroad cars have their
capacity plainly marked and in plain
view, yet in every instance these cars
are loaded. billed and shipped by
weight a~scertained at the railroad
scales at the mine or at the switching
point Why make the distinction OF
loading coal mine cars by the car and
railroad car by weight.
PenaIized.
The operator argues that he cannot
stand the additional expense because
the workmen's compensation act
penalties" him. What about the min.
er? He argues that he has stood this
thing for a good many years, and his
patience is threadbare.
The Dead.
But the compensation law does not
penalize the coal operator-it merely
compels him to bury his dead, some.
thing many Of the operators for whom
some of you appear refused to do uA
til this law became effective.
For the years for which we have
statistics, we know that 4,627 men
have been killed outright in the mines
OF the state. This does not include the
II killed at Eccles. Not one per cent
Of the widows and orphans left by
these 4,627 victims ever received a
penny from the coal companies. Sew.
enteen thousand, five hundred and
eight dependents u%nprovided for.
Out of 4,446 miners killed, the
widows and orphans of 1S1 have been
protected and provided for-not by
the coal companies alone, but by ali
contributing companies.
Apropos of the penalizing plea
Just a word. It Is a fact that the coal
companies have lodged from the first
the matter OF contributing their share
OF this compensation fund. There has
not been trouble with other coutribu.
tors in this respect. |. e. newspaper
plants. and other manufacturing and
commercial corporations who all con-
tribute to this fund.
From June, 1897, to June, 1913, $3.50
miners were killed, Or an average Of
n miner for each working day; in
recent years the average has done up
to n and one-half miner killed for
each working day.
In this average we do not include
the great army that have been In
jured, many hundreds Of whom died
later and unaccounted for. Last year
this record was kept for the first time.
In Marion county "a men were killed
and 43 injured. Harrison county. Il
killed and 46 injured. Raleigh coun-
ty, "a killed and 81 injured. mellow.
ell county. 90 killed and 1877 injured.
Fayette county. "A killed and 11s In
jured.
In all last year. 3os we're killed and
66S injured. Many were crippled for
life. There is no means OF c~alculat-
ing the awful toll, but 1t will not do
for the operator to complain that he
is penalized by the compensation law
and urge that excuse as a reason why
the miner is not worthy Of his hire.
Prior to the enactment Of the Work
mems Compensation law. the operator
protected himself by insuring in a liza.
bility company, but this did not al.
ways insure the miner. At one great
explosion the liability company paid
the operator many thousands Of dol
lars Of insurance carried on the men.
Four days after this payment the
company went into the hands Of q re-
ceiver and the loved ones left by the
mar never recaivad a nanny nnsnnan-