The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 31, June 10, 1897 - A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls by Various
page 21 of 50 (42%)
page 21 of 50 (42%)
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attempt to assume such control is unlawful and shall be punished.
It also adds that the Attorney-General may order witnesses to come before a judge, and may ask them any questions he chooses about their business methods, and that he may also examine the books and accounts of their business whenever he has a mind to. Finally, the law states very clearly that witnesses must answer all the questions put to them, and that if they refuse to answer they shall be punished for contempt of court. The Coal Barons say they are quite willing to answer any questions, because they have been carrying on their business in a perfectly proper way. They are, however, most unwilling to have the Attorney-General go over their books. They insist that the personal liberty of a citizen is interfered with if this law is carried out, and so they are determined to fight it. The modern method of mining coal is very interesting, and especially so when we understand that from the mine to the cellar the coal is handled almost exclusively by machinery. The miners go down the shaft and blast off the coal. They shovel what has been loosened by the blast into wagons, which hold about two and a half tons. These wagons are hoisted on the elevator to the mouth of the mine, and from the moment the coal sees the daylight, the work in connection with it is done by machinery. |
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