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Show HAD Mil C011 AT El OF MONTH Striking Copper Miners Testify Testi-fy as to Working Conditions Condi-tions in Michigan. HANCOCK. Mich., Feb. 12. Two striking strik-ing cooper miners testified at lh& congressional con-gressional inquiry today tliat they had worked full months underground under the contract cyst cm and at the end of that tlmo found they owed tho company money after balunclng their accounts for supplies, benefits, rent, and other things. William Kljpehi said he worked twonty-slx twonty-slx shifts at thc North ICearsarge mine in. 1908 and on pay day ho was informed that ho had nothing coming. "You owe tho company," he was Informed, In-formed, according to tha testimony. Isaac .llukka told the committee that ho was In debt to the company 75 cents alter working one month In the Tamarack mine. Nino workers were examined today and all of them declared thc average wages were poor. Thc committee continued to hear testimony bearing on thc conditions leading up to thc strike and when adjournment ad-journment was taken tonight indications were that at least one more day would bo devoted to this subject of tho inquiry. Federation Question. Chairman Taylor announced that he would await the arrival of the absent members of the committee before deciding decid-ing whether the Western Federation of Miners was to bo included in the present Inquiry. The announcement was mado in response to the question from Allan F. Recs of counsel for the mining companies. Each of the witnesses examined has been asked If Jie was a member of the federation federa-tion and if so, how long a time, to support sup-port the operators' claim that, no employee em-ployee was discriminated against because of his membership In thc federation. Tho committee heard rhe testimony of Jacob LuPllg, an old employee of tho Calumet Cal-umet & IJccIa company, who told of an interview he had with James MacNaugh-ton. MacNaugh-ton. the general manager, soon after the strike was called. Quotes MacNaughton. Lustlg said he had known 'MacNaughton 'MacNaugh-ton since the latter was n boy. Mai;-Naughton Mai;-Naughton sent for him, he said, soon after the strlko began and told him he ought to go buck to work. When he refused, re-fused, explaining that he had drawn $70 in strike benefits from tho federation, he said MacNaughton offered him $100 to pay back to the federation if ho felt uiu Uer obligations to that organization. "Jacob, I want you to go down to union headquarters and get fifty husky fellows like yourself to go back to work, ho quoted MacNaughton as saying. The witness said he told MacNaughton he did not think he could got that many and that the latter then offered him house rent free If ho could get twenty-live He said he told MacNaughton. to go after the men himself and tliat the manager renlled: ''No, Jacob; they would kill me." Lustlg said he made no effort to induce in-duce any of thc other strikers to go back. "Isn't it true that none of the former Calumet & Hecla employees has paid any rent since the strike?" asked A. E. Petcrrnann of counsel for the companies. "I don't know," answered thc witness. Story of Trammer. George Szlnka, who said he had worked as a trammer in the Calumet & Hecla mines for more than twenty years, testified testi-fied that he had paid a shift boss S 1 00 for his first job and that his son-in-law had' -paid a boss $20 or $30 for a Job In another mine ten years ago. He said ho had not heard of any minors paying for their Jobs In recent, years. "You have 'been tramming for twenty years and your health Is good?" usked Mi. Petennann. "Yes, it is now," was the reply. Several strlkors had testified that the strongest men could not work as trammers tram-mers for more than two or three years under modern conditions without breaking break-ing down. |
