The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-11-17
OPTIMISM OVER
v. Va. SITUATION
Tom Lewis Believes Resump-
ton of Coal Mining Today
Will Be General

CUARI ,ESTON Nov. l6-Mine Opcrat-
ors and officials uf the United Mine
Workers of America here were "ptlmlS-
tic tonight and expressed c"nfld'n nee that
All union mines in the West Virginia
coal fields would b. operating tomorrow.
1t was generally agreed however. mat II
the miners continued to rcfuS" 10 go 10
work. there was little hope for the re-
sumption of mine operations at the pres
cnt time.
"Thcrc is reasons to believe that MI
mines in this state will be operating
Monday" said r. L. Lewis. secretary or
the New River coal operators aSsocia-
tiOn, after receiving reports from all
mining regions in the state.
1T is certain tina; the operators are
prepared and anxious To have their
mines operated" continued MI Lewis.
1t is apparent that the mine workers.
best interest would he subscrvcd 10y all
OF them being at work Monday. IL
would naturally convince the govern
lnrnt authorities that both the miners
! and their leaders. are sincere in carrying
out the courts mandate canccliinS 'ac
! strike order
/ The government has asked for re-
! port Monday on the mines that arc lal',
. Mr.. Lewis stated. and for follow up re-
ports on each day of the week.
Back on the JOB.
| Union officials at the district mine
! workers headquarters asserted that all
! tho men would be on the job Monday.
They declared that the reluctance or
tho men TO return was being overcome
nv the leaders. practically all the prcoi-
! dents of the sub districts. district boaro
members and other union officials were
touring the various districts today IN an
effort to persuade the men TO return II
was stated.
! There are several things cropping out
that have weakened .Q4r.A sincere ana
earnest attcmpt'to get the m"n BACK IA
tho mines" said ". NJ. Blizzard, pr"sl-
dent Of the subdistrict No. ,. United
, N;nc Workers. Eve now have record
Of 30 miners who have been Discharged
because Of their connection W+lh the
strike The attempts to impose fines has
already been mentioned by several c"nl'
nanics. Reports have also been made 10
us Of a few companies refusing 10 take
/ men back
IF the companies start lovyinG fines
| and discriminating against IN" men, VIC
! will be unable to control Them.
! Discrin1n q ton Alleged
Mr.. Blizzard said he was forwarding
! today to Attorney General Palmer llSt
, Of the companies that were dlScrlinih-
! ut!n6' against the union IhlIHiS anu d
! list Of those refusing to take men
! I'VE believe that the greater percent
ngc of the miners of the kanawha field
: will be at work Monday" IL was an
! nouuccd at tho Offices of the kanawh1
/ coal Operators association. The Inion
I off icialS have assured US that they VII!
make Il special effort to put our mines
; in opcrat ION.
I Reports received here tonight by Orrr-
I,Nr lion nj n
/ fields upc rated at 100 percent capacity
| every day last week, with IN" exception
, of Saturday which was observed as n
half holiday by large percentage OF
Kennedy Confident
y. c. Kennedy. secretary of the Kan
! nwha Coal Operators association. who
returned this afternoon from Washing
ton where he. attended the wage confer
cncc in an unofficial capacity, said he
was confident that new wage agree.
mcRt would be negotiated by the first OF
next week" II" asserted that the West
Virginia mine operators were satisfied
/ with tn" plan to negotiate an agreement
| covering the mines in the central com
pctitiv" fields which would serve as Il
basis for agreements IN the West Vir-
ginia and other outlying fields.
The plan IS satisfactory TO us. hc-
cause it Will save time" said Mr. Ken.
nedy. We want /" get the new agree
ments settled rs soon as possible.
After being on strike for eleven
days. union miners began to return e.
work OH Wednesday morning in response
TO orders from the headquarters Of tn,
Tilted Mine Workers in districts II and
29, Max II. Tomo. secretary Of the Kan
awha Shippers association. said today
in his weekly review of the coal produC'
tion situation in the state II" said
There was at first some suspicion
among the miners MS to whether the or
der 10 return was genuine. and cunSC'
uu"ntly only 4 small percentage worked
during tho last week.
Logan's Big Output.
The beginning Of the second week Of
the strike found the Logan region still
producing coal at tho rate uf $40 cars 4
day. Both the car supply and tho labor
conditions generally were conducive It
maximum production. with the grca,
bulk uf the output moved to Russell
Ky. for distribution. according to orders
Of the railway administration.
in the Williamson fields the produc
tiOn during the first week OF IN" strike
was $4,000 tons. or slightly more thar
during the previous week. In the
poCahontas fields the production pei
week sine" the strike has hcCn approx
matCly $500 tons. or more than IS or
dinarily mined during that time. More
pocahOntaS coal is moving eastward al
present. the entire output being sent tc
the west during the first week or th'
strike"
In the Winding Gulf region. which is
unorga-lized. the production during th'
week ending November was 1851 cars
or about 10000 tons. and continued al
the same rate during tho second weeE
OF the strike.