New-York tribune., 1918-07-23
Miners Are Meeting the
Situation Periodically
by Extra Labor
Cooperation Shown
Men and Employers Get
ting Together in General
"Win War" Scheme
Bv Theodore M. knappen

By Theodore M. knappen
POTTSVILLE, Penn, July 22.-
"When YOU have done enough for your
self, set out another carload for Uncle
Sam" is the slogan the anthracite
miners are passing around among
are striving to create a definite daily
standard of increased productions 1t
takes will power and patriotism to DO
1t. II every miner IN this region can
be stimulated to thst point there will
he enough anthracite coal to go
around.
Now that the draft authorities have
taken the initiative and are actually
trying 10 start campaign to dissuade
miners from submitting passively to
the draft or from enlisting. it is hoped
to hold the labor army of the mines to
the present figure of 144.0O0-an if
those men can be stirred up TO dig
coal the way their sons snd brothers
are fighting Germans in France they
will come through with the fuel. And
there is some stirring going on.
Draft Stripped Miners
In this stirring is seen one Of the
unforeseen incidents Of the conscrip-
tion law. The draft took thousands
of miners sons and brothers, in the
mines and out. At that time many of
the miners cared no more about the
war than they did about a head hunt
ing expedition in Borneo-and they
didn't relish the idea of their fellows
being taken for lighting men. These
drafted men-many Of them-are now
in France, and they are writing let
ters back that make the home stayers
realize that this Is now their war by
the demands Of consanguinity and fam
lyties, If nothing else Coalnow becomes
arms and ammunition, food and cloth
ing and good cheer for the kin on the
blood red line. The men at the front
men OF all the Babelian races of the
coal country-are also writing letters
that bring glowing reports of the work
OF the \. NJ. c. A. and Red Cross,
and the recipients subscribe lbcrally
to the auxiliary funds Of all kinds.
Thus patriotism is shipped to France
and re-eXported 20 America. Thus the
draft helps fuse the contents of the
melting pot of races
All to Share Burden
The bearing of common burden is
a great enterprise of idealism in bring
ing employers and employees Ggether.
All classes feel that they must helm
directly. At a meeting of operators
the other day a speaker was applauded
when he told them that when they
were expecting their men TO work
harder and longer for love of country
they must set the example by doing
NKeWlse Ihey were urged to give
up their vacations, eschew golf, for
swear JOY riding, take off their coats
and go into the mines with the men.
Ana even as credit IS to be rendered
unto the laborer, so also should it be
rendered unto the master. 1t is a fact
that most of the operators are giving
themselves without stint to the great
cause. They are using their heads TO
get out coal for the countrys good as
they never used them for profits Old
MINES are beng reopened, culm banks
are beng laboriously washed, new
mines are being opened, pillars are
being removed, every little trick of
management and efficiency is being re-
sorted to. Everything is being done
mat Is possible to make every second
OF the miners working day productive.
Motions are short cut and time is
saved as if it were golden-as indeed
1t is. Even the black rivers of the
coal country are being dredged for the
precious anthracite sand that has
washed down from the mines in the
proHlgate days of yore
operators and operatives met in joint
cOnmlft4RG n
OF beating the Hun by the coal route.
ne miners give up their old custom
OF knocking off to attend funerals in
ucdy instead they now send committee
VI SIX ana the company contributes $3.50
20 the funeral expenses. There are
SVV mlners' funerals a year and each
funeral has cost the lost production
OF 1000 tons of coal. As on the bat
teheld, the living may not stop to bury
inc DEAD. Presidents, managers and
Wsuperlhtendents ~ come and go through
sne mines, speaking words of en-
couragement and fellowship, ENJOYING
such democracy of common cause as
'hey had never dreamed of. Labor is
no longer commodity; it is hu-
manly capital is no longer oppres-
sion' 1t is labor Transformed
Disregard Car Problem
Owing to the intimate relations be-
Tween the mines and the railroads of
she anthracite country the car problem
mas never amounted to much here
except IN times of adverse weather. II
lne mines didn't run, the railways
uldn earn and SO the mines have
run lhls Intimate relation makes the
management Of transportation of an
,,Hraclte simpler task than in the
ol'uminous fields. Here coal mining
ana railway running are identical. So,
now .t IN this emergency we find the an
thraclte roads are at the top notch of
ehlclency. Coal is king on all the
ROADS. Local freight trains and pas
seneer trans, too, take to the humble
% %siae track as the many CARED trains,
loaded with the gray black coal of
Goals rumble and rattle and thunder
% uown the lines to factory, home and
port: And often, too, they stand aside
tor lnterminable trains of empties la
ppoflously climbing the mountains be-
Tnlho nho painting and groaning engines.
nsy and night the black trains come
and and go. 1t is coal, coal, coal every