The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1919-11-20
COAL MINERS AND
NINE OPERATORS UN-
DER INVESTIGATION

washington, ~. u, NOV. lo.-Large
bodies move slowly, to which rule the
conference Of coal miners and opera
tors is no exception. But while nego.
tiations are proceeding between the
representatives Of both sides, disquiet-
ing reports have come from various
sections of the country tending to
show Ill feeling, recrimnation and
much misunderstanding exists regard
ing the resolution about work in the
mines. Employees are charging that
the operators are profteerng and cur
failing production or that they are at
tempting to penalize men who went
out on strike by refusing to take them
back.
The department Of the government
labor and justice--are busily at work
investigating the sources of discon-
tent. One observation-disclosures
the perplexities Of the situation from
the complaints made by both sides,
the impression that the department
of justice seems TO have is that the
mine operators rewarded the non.
union men who stayed at their posts
when the strike came by giving them
promotions. The union men on return
ing to work after the strike order was
rescinded were told they could have
work but evidently have not been given
the preferred jobs which they once
held.
But at the department Of labor the
inclination is to believe that too many
men are out Of work in Alabama to
substantiate the promise given in the
foregoing paragraph and there is
tendency to suspect that the operators
are endeavoring to penalize the union
men generally.
The Investigations being conducted
by the department of justice and labor
are by no means complete but there
is nothing as yet on which to base
n prediction that prosecutions will he
instituted against the operators for
curtailing production under the Lever
act though it would not be surprising
to ssr that statute invoked again this
time against the operators, if enough
evidence is gathered to warrant such
an action. Attorney General Palmer
in a recent message to Alabama oper-
ators made it clear that he would not
hesitate to undertake such prosecution
il the facts justified it and it can be
said that the department is rather
eager to prosecute vigorously any
good case that it finds against the
operators, particularly because of the
charges of bad faith that are being
I'D he fnl
ment for its alleged partiality in in
voking a wartime statute against the
workers without once using the law 20
restrict the activities of operators,
both with respect to price and di-
.minished production. :
The operators on the other hand
have made good use Of the statement
made by John l.. Lewis, acting presi-
dent of the miners, at the Buffalo
convention to the effect that the op-
orators were not curtailing produc-
ton, but friends of the miners say
such "A statement cannot be con-
surued as applying to the behavior
of operators at all times and they
claim that refusal to take men back
to work is in itself conspiracy to
curtail production at moment when
the country needs all the fuel it can
get.
Kentucky miners, for instance, have
telegraphed both the departments of
labor and justice that they are not
going back to work because the oper-
ators have increased the prepared coal
price from two dollars and sixty-five
cents under the Garfield allowance
to three dollars and fifty cents and
four dollars, while the miners are get
ting no part of this increase. 1t is
argued moreover that the excess pro.
fits reported would show what inn
mense profits were made by operators
in Kentucky during the year.