Commission Hears Brodie Of Operators

Vice President of Bienfait Mine Submits Statement Showing Operating Losses

"The song is ended, but the melody lingers on."
With the coal strike settled, the Royal Commission inquiry into its causes was resumed at 10.00 o'clock this morning before His Honor Judge Wylie. Solomon Greenberg, Winnipeg barrister, made his initial appearance in the interests of the miners.
A picture of conditions facing the deep seam mines of the field was painted none too brightly by J. R. Brodie, vice president of the Bienfait Mines, Ltd., when he took the stand. All the operators would face heavy losses this year, he said. He submitted a chartered accountant's statement to show that the Bienfait Mine alone would sustain a loss of about $8,000, and it was recognized as one of the most successful in the field.
Increasingly heavy competition threatened complete extinction of the deep seam mines, he stated. As possible remedies to the situation, he advised heavier duties on American coal imports, a special tax on all strip mines to bring about an adjustment of selling prices, and fairer consideration of lignite coal by the federal authorities in respect to subventions.

Screen Coal Basis Miners of the Estevan-Bienfait coal fields had been receiving pay on a "screen coal basis", which was supposed to include remuneration for timbering, removial of water seepage, and clearing away of "clay falls," Mr. Brodie testified. He contended that the men had been getting a fair living wage, and announced that figures would later be submitted to the Commission in an effort to substantiate this claim.

Started Monday The Commission finally got underway at 11.40 o'clock Monday morning, after a series of delays to provide opportunities for conciliation negotiations, all of which proved abortive. An order-in-council bearing the great seal of Canada and the signature of the Earl of Bessborough, the governor-general, was read by W.H.S. Glew, secretary of the inquiry, announcing the appointment of Judge Wylie as a commissioner to fully investigate the causes and circumstances leading up to the strike. Memoranda outlining the scope of the commission were also read.
W.J. Perkins, crown prosecutor, announced his presence in the capacity of counsel to the Commission; W. W. Lynd, K.C. was present as counsel for the deep seam operators. Although the provincial governement had offered to provide the services of counsel for the miners, and attorney had not been named when the investigation commenced.
Witnesses from the Bienfait it was intimated that about 20 men would testify from this mine, after which employees would be heard. This evidence, with the replies of the operators, Mine were first on the order sheet; will probably keep the Commission occupied for 30 days.

Harris First Witness John Howell Harries, who entered the employ of the Bienfait mine on Oct. 2, 1930, was the first witness called. Both he and Harry Hesketh, the latter a worker in the Coalfields for 26 years and secretary of the Mine Workers' Union, gave lengthy testimony regarding grievances which hd contributed to the strike situation.
Lack of payment for bailing out water from the workings, timering, and removal of "clay falls" from the tracks, was one of the first complaints mentioned. Harris and Hesketh stated that the miners had been expected to do all this work without remuneration. In connection with the removal of water seepage from the "rooms" in which they were working, it was necessary for a miner to be at work an hour and a half to an hour ahead of the scheduled starting hour in the morning, unless he was to lose time during the day.
"Short weights" were also charged. The two witnesses claimed that the scales at the tipple docked 950 lbs. from each car of coal which came up fromthe diggings. This dockage was for slack, but since the miners forked the coal when they loaded it, the allowance was far in excess of the acutal amount of slack in a load. The men felt that they should be paid on the basis of the amount of coal dug, regardless of slack. Further regarding tipple weights, it was alleged that scales never recorded a load over two tons, although many cars contined as much as three tons. "No matter how high we bank them up,' Hesketh stated, "they are always two tons." On this basis a miner only received credit for the weight between 950lbs and two tons, regardless of how heavily he loaded a car.
"Black Damp" Complaint "Black damp," a poisonous gas found in the older workings of the mine, was another cause for grievance. The ventilating fans at the mine were not properly located and were not operated often enough, so that a miner was often prevented from working full time owing to the "black damp," Harris and Hesketh stated.
When, in the past, miners had protested against the alleged bad working conditions, the invariable reply of the management had been to the effect of "if you don't like it, pack your tools and get out," it was charged by the witnesses. Men who had agitated for improved conditions had been discharged and then "blacklisted" for further employment by all the operators of the field.