New-York tribune., 1919-11-26
No Action ON
Coal Strike
By Cabinet
Continued from page I

unless conditions change over night or
winter swoops down on the nation with
unusual violence, the strike will fall of
it's own weight, and the country need
not be alarmed if any solution the
Cabinet offers is turned down.
The Hines statement said:
"The railroads had in their posses
sion on November 1, when Fuel Admin
istrator Garfield turned over distribu-
tion Of coal to the railroads, about
22,000,000 tons of soft COAL either in
railroad storage or in cars. From this
supply and the current production, that
has been increasing steadily since the
kept in operation, all American flag
ships and limited number of foreign
ships have been bunxered, public utili-
ties and absolutely essential industrial
plants and institutions of various kinds,
such as hospitals, have been kept sup
piled, and the householder has been
kept warm. These uses have prior
claim to coal, and until coal is again
produced in sufficient quantities more
than to meet these needs, and unless
there are unusual conditions, no sup
plies will be released to other users.
Gain in Cars Loaded Claimed
an the first week of the strike the
average number of cars of bituminous
coal loaded daily was 9,305, or 26 per
cent of the strike average; in the
second week loading was at the rate
of 10,608 cars, or 30 per cent of the
normal rate, gain over the first
week of A per cent Last week, the
third of the strike, production steadily
increased and reached nearly 40 per
cent Of normal. The present week
promises SO far a still better showing.
"Production now is mainly in the
East, in the South and in the Rocky
Mountain region. In the Central States,
where bituminous coal is so largely
used, there is little or no present out
put. The railroads have the difficult
and unusual task of moving West a
large part of the production Of such
fields as the Pocahontas and Pennsyl-
vania fields that normally move East
The 22,000,O00 tons the railroads had
on November l was as evenly divided
as possible over the country, but in
the sections where there had been no
production supplies have become de-
ducing fields has been and is being
sent West to fill these needs
Supply Held at Tidewater
CAT the Eastern tidewater ports there
were, on November |, many thousands
of cars of coal assembled for export
to foreign countries. These cars were
held when the strike was first begun
as reserve supplies for the railroads,
essential industries and limited bunker
ing of ships. The accumulation of cars
Of coal at these ports is nothing abnor-
NAL, is not interfering with operation
hoo t,
1t is being held for protection of es-
sential consumers on the Atlantic sea-
board.
"The export business in coal was in
full swing when the strike began, but
obviously SO long as the coal in cars
and the current production are no more
than what is needed for protection Of
this country, export of coal should be
and shall not be allowed. The situa-
ton is we'll in hand and there is and
will be no lack OF empty cars for the
Goa! mines that are working. The cars
of coal held under load at various
points for emergency use are not inter
fering with regular transportation"
The coal operators association Of the
central competitive fields tonight gave
out a statement charging Secretary
Wilson, Of the Department Of Labor,
with deliberately" attempting to
convey the impression that the total
of the increases granted the miners
from 1913 to 1917 is very small and
far below the increase in the cost of
living during the same time"
More Pay, Less Work
1t says Secretary Wilson, in compil-
ing his figures, took one small class of
miners, and concludes by saying that
every mine wage increase granted since
1916 has resulted in decreased eff
cheney of the miners and Increased