The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-18

living would come tumbling down,
most of the conditions that are now
causing unrest and discomfort would
begin to disappear and in a short
while we would enter on an era of
lasting and solid prosperity.
Furthermore, we would be all the
better, mentally, morally and physi-
cally, for period of self-denial.
y X y
Mercy Homes Appeal
for Small Sum
.NNE of Birmingham's most
W worthy and popular charities
lis the Mercy Home. It's aims and its
achievements are we'll known. 1t has
at present eighty-five inmates and
it now asks for fifteen thousand dol
lars to carry on. its noble work.
A drive is being started for that
amornt-a small amount when the
good accomplished is considered.
Money-raising campaigns were over
the-head enterprises during the war,
but since hostilities ended, drives, no
matter how good the cause, have
dragged. There must be no drag
lging, however, about this.
The fifteen thousand dollars sought
should be in hand inside of a week.
The Mercy Home is nonsectarian
institution, and everybody should CON
tribute something, and do it promptly.
!. y y
Chaotic Production of
Coal Root of Evil
9FHE Brotherhood of Locomotive
/ = Engineers, in discussing the
coal strike, suggests the calling Of
another Industrial conference to fol
low the one which failed in Wash
ington--a conference of labor and OF
capital and of the public-to consider
the relations between labor ano
capital.
The Daily News of Chicago, in
commenting upon the brotherhood's
proposition, says:
"The country will make no genuine
progress toward settled peace in the
coal industry, however, so long as
the subject is approached simply
from the side of the relations between
labor and capital. Peace in the coal
industry is not mere labor problem
1t is business problem, a production
problem. 1t ought to be approached
not by conference on labor, but by
bigger Conference conference on
the reorganization of the coal indus
try for the national purpose of Sc
curing a more regular and more con-
Itinuous production of coal"
| There is sound philosophy in that
view of the situation.
The Illinois quota of coal "has to
be produced somehow"
Therefore on days when the
mines were working an excessive
number of mon had to be employed
1t can 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 reasonable reg
ularity. A surplus of men was pro-
duced.
Then, when a great many days of
mo market" and OF mo orders
came along together, as in the first
part Of the present year, the whole
body Of miners suffered greatly
But again they suffered with an ir-
selves. Some Of them might have
no work at all, while others in
neighboring mines might have to
! work more hours a week than are
tolerable to average human backs
and average human lungs. And
all 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 cintinued to be and is
an industry OF choppy peaks and
deep hollows, with a surplus of
men demanded for the peaks and
clinging to them and with a multi
i tude of men discarded in the hol-
j lows and there suffering and grow
ing resentful.
What tho miners now propose is
i to level down the peaks and level
mp the valleys by compelling the
adoption Of . regularised work
week. They propose to make this
work week % short that all miners.
including the surplus demanded
by previous conditions, shall have
work. But the country should not
Il have unreasonable SURPRISES OF men
in any industry and, further, a reg
ularized work week cannot con-