South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-12-01
Other Editors Than Ours
COAL-A CASE FOR BUSINESS BRAINS.
Chicago Daily News.l

The country will make no genuine progress to-
settled peace In the coal industry, however
long the subject is approached simply from the
side the relations between labor and capital.
Peace in the coal industry is not labor prob
lem 1t is business problem. production problem.
1t ought to be approached not by a conference on
labor but by a bigger conferences conference on
the reorganization of the coal industry for the
tional purpose of securing more regular and
continuous production OF coal.
The root of the present coal strike like the root
of almost any other war, is different from the i'm
mediate causes alleged by the belligerents in their
declarations of war. The root OF the present coal
strike is the irreguarity and dscontinuity of the
production of coal.
In Illinois in the course Of the six years from
1913 to 1913, inclusive, the annual number
of workdays for the miners was only 1919. AsSum-
ing that each of these days eight hour day.
the number OF hours worked annually by
each miner only 1892? But these hours came
irregularly. on days the worked. On
other days because of car shortage" because Of
no market and mo orders or because OF mine
disability they did
The Illinois quota OF coal for the national indus
trial needs had to be produced somehow. Therefore
days when the mines We're working excessive
number OF men had to be employed 1t properly
be called excessive 1t was excessive in comparison
with the number of men that would have been
needed If every man had been working with
sonablc regularity. surplus of men produced.
Then, when great many days Of mo market
and of mo orders came along together in the
first part of the present year, the whole body OF
miners suffered greatly But again they suffered
with irregularity Of hardship among themselves.
Some Of them might have work at all, while
others in neighboring mines might have work
hours week than are tOlerable TO average
human backs and average human lungs. And ali the
while the number of miners resident in mining
towns was the number necessary TO meet the peaks
OF production IN the mines: and the coal industry
continued 70 be and now is industry of choppy
peaks and deep hOllows. with surplus of de-
manded FOR the peaks and onEing them and with
a multitude Of discarded in the hoows and
there suffering growing resentful.
What the miners now propose is to level down the
1wAN nnf FT,. vo11n ,w,1f1sv.
adoption OF a regular:zed work week. They propose
10 make this work week so short that all miners,
including the surplus demanded by previous
ditons. shall have work. But the country should
not have unreasonable SURPRISES OF in any in
dustry and, further reEuIarized work week
not cOnceivably be established unless and until the
supply OF coal cars the railroads has beer
larzed and unless and until the coal market itself
has been reguarzed. The problem is business
problem, a sociai problem. general national prob
lem.
To up: The OF the evil in the coal in
dusry is chaotic production IL brings forth poison
and pain not only for the miners but FOR the coal
operators. The miners propose 10 cure IL by
program. But this complex problem manfes,ly
not be cured by any program except general
uoual program involving cooperation a grand
scale between organizations OF producers and
carnations OF railroads and organ cations repre-
sentng all the people-the government
To evolve such programme try to evolve it
We Americans 90 not need another conference on
methods OF collective bargaining. We need a con-
ference national business engineering u should
deal with coal mine labor and il should include rep
resentatives OF coal mine labor. but its prime aim
should be coal itself Only when production is
scientific for the nation viii II be human for the
coal miner.