Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-03

the fourteen per cent wage lhCFSdSe
decreed by the government were
forthcoming.
Slight Ray of Hope
A slight ray of hope, however, was
found in optimistic reports from
operators of the district embracing
Southeastern Kentucky. Tennessee
and Virginia that the backbone or
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 subdiStrict of q resolution
favoring general return to work
under the fourteen per cent. wage
increase until a satisfactory adjust
ment is made"
On the other hand cutting off OF
electric advertising and other nom
essential use of power and fuel, with
the added prospect of further cur
tailment of industry, brought to the
general public a rather gloomy out
look. Some regional coal directors
estimated that with reductions of
working staffs 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 to-day
showed no appreciable change from
vest erday. There was no indication
of an intention to resume produc-
ton in the great central competitive
field. Illinois, Indiana, western
Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The output of the surface mines
in Kansas. being worked by volun-
teers under protection of state and
Federal soldiers to-day promised
to be increased as the men got the
hang" of the work and their forces
were augmented.
The governor of Nebraska con-
tinued to urge men of his state to
volunteer TO work in the mines of
nearby coal producing states, and
the dispatching of troops into the
coal fields of Missouri was regarded
by some as a forerunner of attempt
ed state operations of those mines.
From the mine operators themselves,
however, came some opposition to
sending inexperienced men into
their shafts.
The West Virginia mines to-day
continued to be the chief producers
of soft coal as they have been since
inception of the strike. Wyoming
miners who walked out two days
ago in protest against the IA per
cent. wage increase to-day were un-
der orders of their state officials to
return to work. The new strike was
not sanctioned.
AS miners leaders talked of pos
sible extension of the strike to- the
anthracite fields, there were reports
from Indianapolis that the govern
ment had concluded to institute con-
tempt proceedings, being convinced
that the injunction issued against
the strike had been violated
In the eastern part of the coun-
try, where the effects of the strik e
so far have not been felt as heavily
as farther west the Bethlehem Steel
Company to-day had been forced to
order banked one of it's stacks at
North Lebanon, Pa. 1t was an
nounced that unless there was an
early delivery of coal the stock
would be blown out, and that be-
cause of the fuel situation no addi-
tional men now were being employ
ed
Among the many industries forced
to close or facing a shut down in
the west was the Anaconda Copper
Mining Company in Montana. Off
cials announced that preparations
were being made to close all that
company's mines and smelters in
Montana, which would throw 10000
men out of employment.
The effect of the miners strike
also threatened to extend to Canada,
a Montreal report saying failure OF
furnish the dominion $50 carloads
of coal daily, as agreed, would cause
|, further serious reduction of passen-
| ger and freight service.