The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-03
Washington Officials See Ray
of Hope in Situation.
Production Back to Safety Point
by End of Week.
SAY ACUTE STAGE is PASSED
Wyoming Strikers Are Ordered
Back to Work by Officers.
Saturday 75 Per Cent q. s. In
dustry VIII Be Paralyzed.

Indianapolis, Ind, Dec. 3.-Contempt
of court proceedings were to be insti-
tuted against all the general officers
of the United Mine Workers of Ameri-
ca on whom the temporary injunction
issued by Judge A. B. Anderson of the
United States district court was
served, before the end of the day, ac-
cording to information obtained from
an authoritative source.
Kansas state officials anticipate
that any order by Judge Anderson
citing mine worker officials for con-
tempt would include an order against
Alexander Howat, president of the
union for the southeast district.
Howat has been even more bitter and
extreme than John L. Lewis and his
days state or federal court action
against Howat and his co-workers has
been anticipated.
Recently Howat declared that while
Governor Allen might want coal, he
didn't care for fuel. Numerous state
ments have been made by the district
president tending to prejudice workers
against the state program. Complaints
thru the state receivers to the supreme
court were anticipated early in the
week. Action by Judge Anderson, tho,
will probably result in the handling
of the situation thru the federal
courts rather than thru the Kansas
supreme court.
Washington, Dec. 3.-with reports
coming IN from scattered points of
miners returning to work in large
groups, there was ray of hope in
Washington today that the acute stage
of the national coal shortage was near
ing an end.
Some officials ventured the opinion
that by the end of the week coal pro-
duction would be increased to the
point of safety but that probably an
other week would be required before
the country as a whole would begin
to feel the beneficial effects.
Mine operators from all parts of the
country gathered here today to work
out details Of the IA per cent wage in
crease suggested by the government
for bituminous coal miners. While the
sessions officially were restricted to
operators located in the central COM
petitive field, representatives from the
other sections were ON hand to gather
facts on which to base their own ad-
justments. 1t was said that the find
ings of central field company would
be submitted to Fuel Administrator
Garfield for ratification, but that sew
eraI days would be needed to work out
problems presented. Continued optim-
ism in official circles was marked.
altho production figures available
showed no increase in daily tonnage.
This Is not estimated semi at
better than 40 per cent of normal.
Operators representing the A1aba ma
fields, gathered for the wage discus
sion said production which had been
normal there had dropped to about so
per cent, union representatives being
active in attempting to call men out,
Central Pennsylvania mine owners re-
ported partial production, while Wet
Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee
represe ntative were confident that the
mine outputs soon would be back to
normal In the central district, how
ever. hardly a pound of coal is being
produced except by wagon mines and
a -stript pit or two, operators said.
Chicago, Dec. 3.-B l o w zero
weather, which prevailed thruout a
large part of the middle west, today
brought home the seriousness OF the
coal shortage.
Promised relief from eastern hard
coal mines has failed to arrive, T. w.