Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-12-03
WASHINGTON
HEARS MANY
men RETURN

Central District Min
ers Stand Firm.
IHliana3olls, Ind, Dec. b.
.. Contempt Of court proceedings
were' = he instituted against
al the general ol1oefD Of tho
UnlteA llne, Workers q Amer.
i ica on when the temporary IN.
tunetioa issued By Judge A. B.
& Andefsen, q ths United States
district court was served, be.
fore the end ef the day, sc.
ooeding to Information obtained
iron IN authoritative source.
Washington, Dec. 3.-With re-
ports coming in from scattered
points Of MINERS returning to work
IN large groups, there was . ray OF
hope in Washington today that tho
acute stage Of the national coal
shortage was nearing IN end.
Some officials ventursd the opinion
that by the end OF the week coal
production would be increased to
the point Of safety. but that prob
ably another week would be re-
quifed before the country - a
whole would begin to feel the
beneficial effects.
Take o. Tr1ina. ss
Meanwhile the government was
showing NO relaxstion In the en-
forcapent Of strict coei rationinS. I.
In addition TO osfha oFderGS alrsAI1v
sent broadcast UsoR S1io ouS6d.y3s i
33Jrsctor- General Hinea oe the rS3
Md admihistratton, authorised The
.eStcnAl directors to curtall pas-
enger trains Where thsy could b.
.,spsnded without hardship 70 TIE
iblic. ii
1T was believed that with the out
/ 1t Of coal increasing. combined
IN the practice Of rigid economy
s<N, ,cousumptton, there would be no
= xMager Of actual suffering from
" Work Out Seale.
Coal mine operators from all
parts OF the country gathered here
4 today TO work out details Of the II
Per cant wage increase suggested
BY the government for bituminous
coal miners. a.
II was said that the findings Of
the committee probably would 5e
\ submitted to Fuel Administrator
0arheld for ratification, Bat that
several days would be needed to
work out problems presented.
Keer % Hepe.
Continued optimism in. omcial
/ circles WAS marked, although pre-
/ duction figures available showed no
/ Increase IN daily. tonnage. This II
\ not estimated semi-onicially at bet
ter than 10 per cent or normal.
Operators representing the Ala
hama fields. gathered for the wage
discussion, said production, which
EAod been normal there, had
i dropped to about 30 per cent, union
representative being active in at
tempting to call the men out
Approach NernaL
Central Pennsylvania mine own
ers reported partial production.
while West Virginia. Kentucky and
Tennessee representatives were
confident that the mine outputs
would soon be back to normal.
In the central district, hardly q
pound Of coal II being produced 4x-
capt BY wagon mines and . strip
pit or Two, operators said.
Disruptjsn Continues.
Ch,cago, ILL.,, Dec. 3.-Furthcr 3.
disf faption Of national industry be-
cause OF the fuel shortage brought
about by the miners strike was In
| prospect today. Regional directors
of railroads had authority to annul
nasseaesr trains whore the public
would b least inconvenienced and
many additional manufacturing
plants throughout the country
fAced shu4deWns, either through o..
hapstion Of their coal supplies OF
ths strict rationinG decrsed BY thu
fuel coal administrator.
Caait 0ee Suffering.
x ray Of hope wis found In op.
Hsuniata6 ranOPta from onera&Ors oI