New Britain herald., 1919-12-03
R. R. DIRECTORS ARE
 GIVEN WIDE POWERS
Can Cut Out Trains Where NeCeS-
 Sary-Coal Shortage Acute

the strike of soft coal miners was in prospect today. Regional directors of railroads had authority to annuI passenger trains where the public would be least inconvenienced, and many additional manufa curing plants throughout the country faced shut downs either through exhaustion of their coal supplies or the strict ra- tioning decreed by the federal fuel adminiStrator
 State executives who under appeals from their constituents for aid have sought ways and means for replenish- ing the dwindling fuel supply. today virtually were without encouragement as regarded increased production. Only in isolated instances were there reports of q change of front by the miners. Generally the workers ad- hered to their attitude of remaining away from the mines until better terms than the II per cent increase decreod by the government were forthcoming.
 Slight Ray of Hope.
 A slight ray of hope, however, was found in optimistic reports from oper- ators of the district embracing south eastern k entucky, Tennessee and Nlr- ginia that the backbone of the strike there had been broken; the return to work of miners at one small mine in Missouri with the statement that they as Americans could not see their neighbors suffer, and adoption by miners of one West Virginia sub-dis- trict of a resolution favOring a gen eral return to work, under the 14 per cent wage increase until a satisfac- tory adjustment is made.'
 nr ho rfh electric advertising and other non essential use of power and fuel with the added prospect of further curtall- ment of industry, brought to the gen. eral public a rather gloomy outlook. Some regional coal directors estimated that with reduction of working starts already made or threatened, should the strike not be broken immediately, the number of employees thrown out of work soon would surpass several times over the approximately 100000 mine workers involved in the walkout. Conditions at the mines today showed no appreciable change from yesterdays, there was no indication or an intention to resume production Tn the great central competitive field, H. linois, Indiana, western Pennsylvania and Ohio.
 Volunteers Work Hard. The output of the surface mines in Kansas being worked by volunteers under protection of state and federal soldiers today promised to be in creased as the men got the "hang' Of the work and their forces were aug mented.
 The governor of Nebraska con- tjnued to urge men of his state to ,,l- ;,, ynjr of nearby coal-producing states, and the dispatching of troops into the coal fields of Missouri was regarded by some as a forerunner of attempted state operation of those mines. From the mine operators mselveS, how ever. came some opposition to send ing inexperienced men into their shafts.
 The West Virginia mines today continued to be the chief producers of soft coal as they have been since the inception of the strike. Wyoming miners who walked out two days ago in protest against the If per cent. wage increase today were under orders of their state officials to return to work. The new strike was not sanctioned.
 May Extend Strike.
 AS miners leaders talked of possi- ble extension of the strike to the an thracite fields, there were reports from Indianapolis that the govern mcnt had concluded to institute con tempt proceedings being convinced that the injunction issued against the strike had been violated. Tn the east ern part of the country, where the effects of the strike so far have not been felt as heavily as farther West, the Bethlehem Steel company today had been forced to order banked one of it's stacks at North Lebanon, Pa. It was announced that unless there was an early delivery of coal, the stack would be blown out and that because of the fuel situation no addi- tional men now were being employed
 Among the many industries forced to close or facing a shutdown in the West was the Anaconda Copper M in ing company in Montana, Officials announced that preparations were being made to close all of that com pany's mines and smeltcrs in Mon- tana which would throw 12,000 men out of employment.
 The effect of the miners strike also threatened to extend to Canada, a Montreal report saying failure of the United States government to furnish the dominion 150 carloads of coal daily, as agreed, would cause further serious reduction of passenger and freight service.