The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1920-08-06
new COAL STRIKE
AT MANY Mines
Illinois Operators Appeal to the
President as Day Labor Men
Desert Shafts.
STATE OUTPUT CUT LOW.
Head Of the State Union Declares He
Is PowerIess to Stop WaIkout-
Shortage In Northwest Made
More Serious.

y CHlCaSO.-NeaTly lldll IHe COdl luIueS
in Illinois are closed down as result
Of unauthorized strikes which have
rendered at least $4,000 miners idle.
Coal production is sadly crippled and
President Wilson has been appealed to
by the operators in the hope that he
may find some means of relieving the
situation.
The strikers are day labor employees
who have staged sporadic strikes for
two or three weeks. They are asking
wage increases Of $1.5O to $3.50 day.
President Frank Harrington Of the
Mine Workers Union expressed fear
that all the mines in Illinois would be
closed down. He said union officials
had been powerless to prevent the
walkouts.
A committee of operators, composed
of DR.. T. G. Honnold, E. G. Searles,
Herman G. Perry. F. S. Phahler and
Il. g. Adams made their plea to Presi-
dent Wilson through Secretary Tum-
ulty. The members visited Secretary
Tumulty because they were not sure
with whom the miners wage question
should be discussed.
The operators have been following
the government contract with the mine
workers, the contract being made by
The Brtumlnous Wage Commission to
run until 1922. According to reports,
the operators are not disinclined to
grant a higher wage, but feel the gov
ernment should initiate any action.
reports reaching Belleville, ILL.,, state
that about twenty shafts are affected
in Franklin County, including the large
Middle Fork Mine at Benton. Four are
idle at Collinsville. One at Prairieville
and one at Edwardsville. Some mines
in other sections Of the southern half
of the state are reported to be working
shafts operating.
Washington. The coal shortage,
especially in the northwest, has been
conditions in Illinois, where more than
one-half Of the bituminous coal mines
are idle, with the result that the nor
nal daily output Of from $4,000 to
$4,000 tons has been reduced to 1O0,-
600 tons or less. So critical is the sit
uation In the Illinois bituminous fields
that the heads of the three principal
coal operators associations in that
state placed the whole matter before
the President for such action as he
lay see fit to take.
In a memorandum which they made
public with the text of the letter to
President Wilson, the Illinois operators
say that If any substantial part Of the
normal output Is not now mined that
tine recent program laid down for the
coaling of the northwest cannot be
met" The operators describe the sit
uation which has developed as result
of labor troubles in Illinois as one of
"extreme gravity" and In their letter
to the President point out the danger
of the strikes spreading into all the
states Of the central competitive field,
which would threaten the bituminous
fuel supply Of the entire nation as well
as Canada. The central competitive
lieid takes in the states of Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania
and West Virginia.
Inclosed in the letter to the PresI-
dent were copies Of a number Of cir
culars and a letter purporting to be
from Illinois state and local officers of
the United Mine Workers of America,
one of the letters being signed by the
officials of four Illinois locals and ad-
dressed to the head officials of the
union in Illinois. This letter is in the
form Of an ultimatum and gives to the
officers of District IL Of the U. NJ w.
of A. and "any one else concerned"
until August 1, next, to meet the terms
of the men. Unless their demands are
met they state they will have resort
to other means to bring about the ac-
complishing Of their purposes" The
ultimatum is without date.