Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-09-10
MINE WAGE CUT
NOT SANCTIONED
BY MAJORITY Of
WORKERS. CLAIM
Petitions Signed Through
Ignorance, or Fear of Los
ing Their JobS, Miners
Tell Commission.
C. F. & |. C0MPANYS
CLAIM is DISPUTED
Witnesses Tell of Threats
Made When They Refused
to Sign Requests for a Re-
duCtion in Pay,
lRy The Associated Press


Walsenburg, Colo, Sept. Q (by
the Associated Press) Testimony
that they had signed petitions for
wags reductions without knowing
what they were signing or for fear
they would lose their jobs was
given this afternoon by a dozen
miners of the Walsen camp of the
Colorado Fuel and Iron company
at a hearing before the state in
dustrial commission.
All the men who testified de-
clared they were opposed to the
wage reduction put in effect by the
company September / in several of
the camps in this county and in all
camps in the Trinidad district.
Statements Contradicted.
This evidence presented by
Romilly f. Foote, attorney for the
mine workers, was designed to
contradict statements of Colorado
Fuel and Iron company officials
that the wage reductions had the
sanction of a majority of employees
of the various mines.
Marceline Valdes and George
Lucero declared william S. Get
chell, superintendent of the Walsen
mines, had refused to advance
them money against their pay
checks when they refused to sign
the petition for a reduction. They
declared they had seen other men
get orders for money on that par
ticular day, August 19. when
! miners field day was held at Trim
idad. They wished to attend the
field day, they said. When Valdes
refused to sign Getchell refused to
give him an order for SIS. he de-
clared.
"If you cannot do me favor ]
can't do one for you." GetcheI
said, according to Valdes' testi-
money. Isaac Wall. with a wife
and three children, testified that
Getchell had asked him to sign and
he refused.
] "Well, you will have to work un-
der the reduction he says Get
chelf told him.
81 can quit" Wall says he re-
| piled and declared that Getchell
told him he could quit right now.
He signed the petition. he said. be-
cause he could not afford to be
without work and supposed thirty
day notice would be given before
the reduction went into effect.
Did Not See Petition.
Several miners employed at the
Walsen camp testified that they
had signed the petition without
knowing what it was. Wall said he
did not see the petition. only a list
of names.
Robert Bowen, a negro, testified
he came here from Pueblo about
August 23 and applied for work.
He declared Getchell gave him
paper to sign and he signed 1t. He
did not know what he was signing,
he declared.
All of the men who signed the
petition testified that when the
reduction was put into effect they
quit work. Several witnesses tesu-
fled to refusals to sign.
In cross examination Fred Far
rar, attorney for the Colorado Fuel
and Iron company, brought out that
Robert w. Baer earned $25S cur
ing August. A little later Andrew
Slate, with a wife and seven chill
dren testified that he earned $50
during August. When he took
his check to the company store he
received $1.01 in change, he said.
He explained that he owed the re-
mainder for groceries. The wit
ness declared that he could not
earn living in his place in the
mine and asked for change.
Told TO Sign n Paper.
superintendent Getchell then pre-
sented the petition to him. He said
he signed not because he wanted
his wages reduced. but because
there was nothing else for him to
do.
Wilford Thompson, one of a
number of men brought from
Pueblo to the Walsen mine after
the steel mills of the Colorado Fuel
and Iron company there were
closed, testified that when he APP
piled at the office of Getchell h!
was told to sign paper. He did
not know what it was, but supposed
it had to do with checking him in
on the job. He did not know II
was a petition for reduction OF
wages.
GetcheIl did not explain what II
was about, he testified.
Thirteen witnesses were present
ed by the miners. Foote said ht
had 100 witnesses waiting but did
not expect to use them all.
No witnesses were put on by the
Colorado Fuel and Iron company
to show that the petitions wers
signed under proper representa-
| tions and voluntarily.
A Gain of As Men.
Chairman j. G. Bell, of the In.
dustrial commission. said tonight
that the taking of testimony would
be continued through Saturday anC
that next week the commission
probably would go to Trinidad to
near testimony on the situation In
Las Animas county.
e. p. WeitZel. general superin.
tendent of the company, announced
gain of forty-five men at work ir
Las Animas county. He said thers
were 233 coal diggers and tota
of sos men at work in five mines
About one hundred men are al
work here, but little coal Is beins
mined, he admitted. Gunnisor
and Fremont county mines are tiet
up, he said.
Officials of the United Mint
Workers of America say the figure.
are exaggerated. They declare nj
coal Is being produced by the com
pany in Colorado regardless of th'
number Of men they say are a
| work.
The commission held a nigh
session at which seven additiona
witnesses testified. The nigh
testimony was similar to that of