The Washington times., 1920-08-31
BELIEVE COAL
STR|KEBALKED
Officials Say Presidents Def
Will Prevent Walkout OF
Anthracite Miners.


today awaiting the further action OF
the miners.
You can rest assured that your
Challenge will be accepted and that
the people of the United tSates VIII
ind some substitute fuel to tide them
over until the real sentiment or the
anthracite miners can fnd expression
and they are ready to abide by the
obligations they have entered into.
the President declared in a telegram
TO the miners threatening strike.
BELIEVE STRIKE PREVENTED.
Officials believe here that the EFF
feet of the Presidents acceptance OF
the challenge, coupled with the ef-
forts OF the officials OF the United
Mine Workers. will prevent an un-
authorized strike Of the anthracite
miners.
Widely divergent views were ex-
pressed here as TO the effect OF the
award of the Anthracite Coal Com
mission on the price OF coal. The
commission in it's findings said:
This award offers no Justification
for any advance in the retail price
OF coal but is consistent with a ue-
cline in prices"
w. Jett Lauck. consulting econo-
mist for the United Mine Workers.
declared today that prices should De
reduced approximately hfty cents
ton at the mines and far more to he
ultimate consumer.
PREDICT THREE ADVANCES.
Representative coal men declared
that there would not only be one ad-
vance but three and that for the
commission to say that no increase
Mt I'D darAnflnn
the public. They declared that to
squeeze a wage advance of $S5.OOO,O 900
and back pay of SlS.000.000 out OF
the anthracite mines without an In
crease was a sheer impossibility.
The price of anthracite coal to the
consumer should be reduced said Mr..
Lauck. When the case was submit
ted to arbitration with agreement that
the award should date from April i.
the operators advanced the price OF
coal at the mines 81 a ton to protect
themselves against any wage Increase.
The wage increase provided in the
majority report of the commission in
creases the labor cost of producing a
ton of coal barely so cents.
On the basis of 10000. 900 tons pro-
duction, this means the operators have
alerady cleaned up sl5,O00.OOO during
nave taken from the public that much
more than they are required to pay
the miners in back pay.
ADVANCE MULTIPLIED.
The 81 advance at the mines has
been multiplied many times to the
ultimate consumer. For example. do
nestle anthracite sold in Washington
prior to May l for Sl1.s0 ton. To-
day the price is quoted at $3.50. In
other cities even larger advances have
been made.
"It is obvious that one immediate
effect of the award should be reduc-
ton of the price to the consumer at
least $1.S5 a ton"
Mr. Lauck declared that available
figures for 1920 for cost of production
ranged from $271 to s3.10 per ton and
that on the basis Of II per cent wage
increase this cost would be increased
from 46 7-1OO to 81 7-10 cents a ton.
G.. II. Gushing. of the American
Wholesale Coal Association, speaking
not for the anthracite operators but
as a coal man familiar with the situa-
ton, said:
zone statement which has been
proved before a dozen tribunals and
which has not been questioned is that
the railroad coal companies with one
exception have been losing money on
the operation of their mines, making
up this deficit from the revenues Of
the railroads.
SAYS SITUATION IS CHANGED.
Now, however. the U. S. Supreme
Court has ordered that the coal COM
panies and the coal railroads be
separated and operated Independently.
the assumption that the coal COM
panies would make up their operating
losses out of railroad profits. Now
the railroad coal companies can no
longer live off the surplus earnings
Of the railroads.
"In addition, the Anthracite Com
mission has imposed a wage increase
Of II per cent. Out of a deficit
which exists the companies are asked
to pay out s103000,0O0 without
price increase. Nor must the fact be
overlooked that there will be an in
crease of freight rates of 40 per
cent, which increase must be added
to the price of coal. To meet those
increases without price advances
cannot be DONE"
Lauck declared that the majority
report violated the principle of liv-
ing wage and was glaringly unequal
when compared to the award to the
bituminous miners.
LAUCK SEES TROUBLE.
"As result of this award" he said,
there probably will be trouble in
the anthracite field. The United
Mine Workers, as an organization,
are pledged to accept this award and
see il enforced, and / know officials
of the union in all good faith will
undertake to do this. However, de-
spite the fact that this grave re-
sponsibuity rests on the union, the
Commission declined to grant that
measure of recognition which would
givs II the power and authority IT
should have to control the situation"
INCREASE IN LUMBER