Evening star., 1919-11-10
CUMBERLAND MEN
NOT UNIT ON COAL
STRIKE QUESTION
No Serious Grievance Found
in Field Supplying Wasn-
inqton With Fuel.

"a stan correspondent of The Star was sent
Maryland coal fields. because washington re-
ceives q large proportion of its supply OF
bituminous from that region.)
From Stah Correspondents
CUMBERLAND, Md, November 10
WhAties at most OF theQ mines i'm thi3
section blew this morning. after being
silent for a week. None Of the striking
miners astnfbed TO notk ttds5s how-
ever. even though Ares were started
under the boilers at the mines .sand
everything was in readiness for re-
sumption Of work. =
Sentiment Of the majority of the min
ers on strike appears to be against re-
turning to work, even though the strike
order should be withdrawn by the ma
tional officers of the mine workers
union.
II sn order is received at headauar-
ters here Of district No. Is from ma
tional officers Of the United Mine
Workers Of America resembling and
recalling the strike order many of
the union miners in Georges Creek
and Upper Potomac fields will return
to work some time this week. Many
others will not 1t Is safe to say
there will be no general resumption
of coal production Immediately; also
1t is safe to say the miners are in
receptive mood. and would welcome
reopening Of negotiations with the
operators.
ators. willingness was expressed yes
terday and today by all Of them to
reopen negotiations with the men as
soon as work is resumed. Not one
representative. Of the operators ex-
pressed any desire to stand for can
10, spAt v.,ns~
to the strike; all declared willingness
to begin again just where work left
of
Conservatives Want to Work.
The conservative element in the To-
Gals of the miners union in this dis
trict wants the strike called of and
work resumed. If this element pre-
walls reopening of the mines is ques-
tion Of few days or a week.
The fact that non-union mines in
this and adjacent fields are working to
the limit of their productive capacity
and getting out hundreds of cars of
coal daily. with production slowly in
creasing, is strong factor. Union
miners do not like to see -non-union
men profiting at their expense;
neither do operators whose mines are
manned by union men like to see their
non-union competitors making money
while their own mines are closed and
idle. Not ton of coal has come out
Of union mines in the Georges Creek
and Upper Potomac fields since the
men walked out November l.
Some Union Mines Resume.
On the other hand, some of the union
mines in other West. Virginia fields
have resumed operations. While dis
trict officials deny absolutely that
any union miners have deserted the
strike, they are bitter in denuncia--
ton of traitors" giving the impress
sion that they know of defections
from union ranks
Miners in this field have not as yet
felt the effects of the strike. While
the yhave been idle TO rthe last week,
they have been running along on
their last, pay and still have the
pay they drew today.
This was the regular bi-weekly pay
day at the mines in this district. the
men drawing their money for the coal
they mined up to midnight October 81.
It. will be their last pay until the
back to work at once and earn
short pay" covering the remainder
of the present two weeks period.
Might Settle Strike.
From conversations with scores of
miners in all parts of this field it is
apparent that so far as local condi-
tions are concerned the strike might
be settled in an hour, if representa-
tives of the miners themselves-not
salaried organizers and district Off
cials-and of the operators would get
together. The only questions that are
actually. vital here. these conversa-
tions indicate, are open recognition
of the union, elimination of dead time
and some method of distributing work
through the actual working season, SO
as to avoid SUGGESTIONS of idleness and
rush work.
Open recognition of the union, the
miners say. can be brought about
by the operators agreeing to deduct
union dues in the paymasters' offices,
exactly as the fees for company doc
tors are deducted. In making up
pay rolls it Is the custom OF the
companies to deduct $1.25 month
fN0nfin1ed On EevAnfh PaRel =,