The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-10-18

Of employees in any industry. it is not
so serious a problem when the new
employees will work at wages so low
as TO allow for the expense of break
age, accident and inefficiency But il
is estimated that the immigration
from foreign lands into America has
decreased by some million and half
in the last three years. And mine
owners in this crisis cannot rely up
on their services in increasing the |
output of coal.
During the summer, the Salt Lake |
Tribune comments, that "our men |
scarcely averaged more than one day |
at week at the mine The operators |
shut down the mines because there |
was no market for the coal, and now
with the pinch of winter at hand there |
is a demand everywhere for COAL"
quoting President White.
The demand that now faces Ameri |
can coal producers comes not only |
from home fields in actual want, as in
| the great northwest, but from among !
all our allies. 1t is estimated in
| France that coal will be selling soon
Tor over a hundred dollars ton. In
Italy it is almost impossible to obtain
coal, and the English demand is in
| creasing continually as the supply be-
comes continually shorter and harder
to obtain because of war conditions on
| the high seas.
During the summer lull in the coal
Industry, it became impossible for
professional miners to obtain suffi-
| cient wages to make a living in the
| face of war prices. Consequently,
rather than strike and thus add trOub-
lie to the present all sufficient crisis,
many miners withdrew from the mines
and sought better paying occupations
| elsewhere and in the munition fac
tories And the present wage is not
| nigh enough to justify them in giving
up their new occupation for the old
| profession of mining
These conditions, together with the
draft law which has taken a large
number of the most abled bodied men
from the coal fields, are what the
United States must face in order TO
meet squarely this present problem of
coal shortage and near famine.
1t is not question of resources, for
if the equipment, the men, the trans
portation facilities, and essential nee
essities for producing and transport
ing the coal can be obtained, there is
no present limit to the stores of fuel
that are being so safely kept in the
, underground warehouse of our bount-
iiul land
Just what the United States will do
ii the demand continues to decrease,
!. without men or means to facilitate its
4 production, is hard to tell. But there
4 seems no other way to solve the prob
lem, in such a case, other than taking
the mines over in her own keeping,
and if need be, drafting the men and
the equipment necessary for the prop
Ell conducting of the industry.
| We draft men for our military
work, men to fight and to die in de-
| tense of the country, and it seems no
| more than justifiable, and certainly
| is beyond objection, if need be to draft
| the men who must produce those nee
| essary things, essential that those who
go to the front and give up the last
full measure of devotion" may not
die in vain.
III In a crisis of war, it seems to us
that every industry, every business
factory, plant, or power in the United
States that is necessary for the sue
| cessful pursuance and cOnsummatlor
of such momentous undertaking, is
as much a part of the war forces OF
the nation as the men in khaki.
III seems to us that every man and WON
III an who can be of service in any way
| to the nation, in the manipulation o
HI its industrial machines should be uset
III by the nation as it deems best ant
= proper 1t is true this is a land o
liberty. but there is never liberty
Al adherence to communal interests
when there is no harmony or unity il
! purpose Our very united conditions
our mutual dependence upon one an
/ other, makes this war our common
cause, and hence it arises that all GU
energies and abilities, all our re
sources and businesses are subject t
| the dictation of the common whole
the bases upon which our common
government is founded and built
President White has formulated thi
slogan, "Get the Coal" Yet we ar
i'll the same breath educated concern
ing these conditions that are fas
| bringing on a famine of fuel in tn
world Perhaps, under Mr. White
| leadership, for he seems to be bot
an efficient leader and truly patriou'
the mining men of the nation will b
| brought back into the field to should
or this crisis of the nation and In
world. That would be the better wal
for it would he the way Of determines
loval, patriotic men of America.
But if for any reason this problel