Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-08

by the Individual. | saw company
houses with newspapers pasted over
smashed pancs. In one instance pill e
low was bulging through n broken sash.
In not one instance did ! see such a
condition in home owned by a miner.
The principle seems to be, sit isn't
our house, so what's the difference in
the case of the company domicics. The
self owned homes were tastefully kept,
well painted and attractive. \ mum
Der Of miners own houses other than
their own. The rent Of five to seven
room company house is SO I. SS per
month.
Condition for condition. ! have seer
hundreds of homes in Philadelphia more
m"nnitary and unsighty than these
miners homes along the Monongahela
Certainly there were somc that were
wrotchcd, wOrbcgOne, and dirty, bur
that is IL condition depeud' mt upon the
occupant,
Streets in had Shape
The streets were mere dirt roads in
some Of these villages and when il
rains ar" no doubt q sud sight. This
could be- rcmedicd, but at great cX
pcusc. and at the wages miners have
been making since aud during the war
NI'Nh w ll'lh '''llN sl'l' w INV Nv
Il better manner and ON better streets
than they do. Al the Patterson mine
the half monthly pay of the pick miners.
the real coat miners, ranges from $50
to Sl+J. With coal at half price and
houa" vent for So to 81 Dcr month it
will strike city luborrrs J think. that
coal minine isn't bad business.
one drawback aud serious one
that prevails even in the better class
o. homr, occupied bS people who are
no, coal miners in these villages, IS the
lack Of indoo" toilet facilities. But
again. how many small furmhouscs in
this state are adequately furnished il
this respect: There are no trees in
mining Villages. If there we're the
uultitudious juvenile population would
hncl; them ru uircrs a Ia George and
his hatchct There is gruss and truck
gardens. COWS. pigs and automobiles.
Al tn" Jerome mine of the United Coal
Co. There are about 700 men employed
and Of this number over 100 own their
own automobiles and they arc not all
Fordo.
Comparison of School Children
At Fum Hope | visited the public
schools It is q large mining village
| desired TO "ompur" the children and
thci" condition with some | had sect
in phiindclphia public schools. Only
abOut % per cent Of the youngsters
were Americans. In the lower grades
there are ten rooms in two buildings
the faces were Of the foreign tyne,
! but they were clean, animated and in
/ tercstcd. 1t was just an ordinary school
| picture. The girls wore neatly dressed
with ribbons in their hair, In on"
room there were two boys poorly dress
j al FEhT,. lilE,,,,ign lpI Iir,r,. a Il
| their hair was unCombcd.
In the upper grade room | could have
! imagined | was in Il city school room
SO far us the appearance and dress
| of the children were concerned. The
! Fair Hope mining village school would
| compare iavorably with the James
! Campbell Public School in Philadelphia
/ 50 far rs the appearance. dress and
/ department of its young pupils are
/ concerned.
/ am convinced that the coming oi
prohibition will work some striking ant
/ beneficial changes in all these mininl
/ towns. Mr. Booker told me the chang,
was already apparent. There was les
trouble in every way in the homes an,
in public places where the miner
gather. They were spending more none.
on their homes
II there are dcplorable condition
among the coal miners in this dis
trict. and heard of number. it i
due to the individual. They are iso
lated and unusual gases. Ii is not
general condition. The payrolls whic
have been opened 10 me do not dis
close it. In fact. from all have see
and heard. the coal miners of wester
Pennsylvania, as whole. earn ia
more money than the average Schoc
teacher. to say nothing of the self
sacrificing clergymen in our countr
! towns.