The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1919-12-11
NO GENERAL RELIEF
TO FUEL SITUATION
After 81 Days of Coal Strike Little
Change in Sight-GoyernOrs of
Several States Win Confer
in Denver.

Chicago, Dec. 5.-Another day OF
wastage of the rapidly dwindling coal
reserve with its incidental domestic
discomfort and disruption of industry
was in prospect today. No immediate
relief through a return to work of
bituminous miners who went on
strike 34 days ago was in sight Some
of the larger cities today for the first
time since the great walkout was cali
ed felt the stress of the situation.
From additional cities and towns of
the West and Southwest, some of
them entirely without fuel, came re-
ports of actual suffering. In three
Nebraska towns fence posts and ear
corn were being burned.
Governors Confer at Denver.
State executives continued to bend
their energies toward Immediately OBJ
tanning enough coal to prevent or
reduce suffering. leaving solution of
the greater question, the strike, to
Washington officials.
Governors of three states, Corley
of Wyoming, McKelvie of Nebraska
and Shoup of Colorado, had as the pur-
pose of a conference today at Denver
working out "some plan for a salts,
factory distribution of coal"
A new wage scale for mine workers
agreed upon by Representatives of all
the larger coal mining corporations
today was submitted to the fuel ad-
ministration at Washington for ratifi-
fication. It embodied a little more
than the fourteen per cent increase
suggested by Fuel Administrators Gar
field and rejected by the miners.
As to what effect it would have on
the strike no predictions officially
were made, however. Neither was
there official comment on the action
of the federal court at indianapolis in
citing "a general and district officials
Of the United Mine Workers of Amer
ica for contempt of the order calling
off the strike The mine workers of
ficials will be given a hearing Tues
day.
Coal From West Virginia.
Despite labor trouble in the New
River fields, West Virginia today CON
tinued to be the nations chief pro-
ducer of soft coal. Miners in the Fair
mont sub-district were expected to re-
turn to work Immediately, operators
saying they had accepted the IA per
cent increase.
In Kansas an appreciable amount of
fuel was being brought from the sur
face mines by volunteers, working un-
der the protection of state and federal
troops Similar mines in Missouri
would be operated by the state, a
statement by the governor said, un-
less the miners returned to work un-
der the terms offered them. One COM
pany of state militiamen already was
on duty in the vicinity of the Missouri
surface mines and three additional
companies were ordered there. To
night was the time limit extended the
miners to return to work.
Volunteers for work in the mines of
nearby states still we're registering in
/ Nebraska today. 1t also was said that
( Wyoming Jared possibility of voluu-
teer mining under the protertion of
troops
Iowa mine operators served notice
on union workers that unless they re-
( turned to work on December S, the
mines would be opened to any compe-
tent labor.
Buildings Razed for Fuel.
! Some operators maintained their at
/ titude, however, of opposing opera
tion of their properties by inexperi-
enced men They claimed it was a
/ hazardous occupation and pointed to
the deaths of six men and serious in
jury of three others yesterday at Bo-
ola Nina No TaokcnnviIla Ind The
killed and injured were either mine
officials or office employees. They set
off a badly prepared blast while at
tempting to get out sufficient coal for
the boilers.