Evening star., 1920-09-02
100000 HARD COAL
MINERS ARE idle,
FOLLOWING AWARD
180 Out of 800 CoIIieries in
Three Districts Are
Shut Down.
Anthracite INDUSTRY
CRIPPLED BY "VACATION"
Big Companies Harder Hit Than
Independent Concerns in
Pennsylvania,
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
WILKES-BARRE. Pa, September ..
The anthracite industry was seri-
ously crippled today by the strike of
insurgents in the ranks of the United
Mine Workers of America. 1t is esti-
mated. according to early reports,
that 100000 of the $4,000 anthracite
workers failed to report for duty to.
day. and that $50 of the 800 collieries
In the districts /, and were ia
tdleness.
No disorders were reported and the
vacation" period of the miners set in
without any display on the part of
rank and file OF the insurgent move-
ment
Big Companies Hard Hit.
The big companies are the hardest
hit. The Independent concerns report
their collieries working. but with a
working force reduced 25 to SO per
cent. In the territory from Carbon
dale to Schuylkill the big corpora
lions found the insurgent movement
strong enough to tie up a large per-
centage of their operations.
The Delaware, Lackawanna and
western reports eight big collieries
idle and eight more working with
decreased force. The Lehigh Valley
Company has SIX collieries idle and
one working in the Wyoming division
and three closed down in the Susque-
hanna division.
The Pennsylvania Coal Company has
nine collieries completely tied up and
the Delaware and Hudson Company
reports about SO per cent of its COL
1ieries working. The Lehigh and
Wilkes-Barre has two collieries and
one washery working and seven
others in idleness. The Susquehanna
Coiiieries Company has only two
closed. In the Hazleton region there
are seventeen collieries idle and six
teen working with a force about 50
per cent normal In the lower regions
there are fifty collieries tied up
1900 On Vacation.
HAZLETON. Pa, September g
approximately 1e,000 anthracite coal
miners at twenty-five Of the collieries
served with cars by the Hazleton and
Mahanoy division of the Lehigh VAL
ley railroad were on vacations today.
1t was estimated production would be
cut so per cent -----'s-ss4'-sE
Yesterday twelve operations were
idie IN protest against the majority
award Of the wage commission and
tonnage was reduced to half the daily
average.
The Beaver Meadow and Spring
Mountaln miners went to work this
morning. but decided to return home
after the whistles had blown.
Back Pay May Lare Workers.
SCRANTON. Pa, September a.
Whiie many mine workers throughout
the hard coal fields remained on what
they termed "a vacation" as a protest
against the terms OF the award of the
anthracite coal commission, the scale
committee representing the operators and
workers met in a joint conference here
today for the purpose of finally accept
ing the award after six months of nego-
aaGon, investigation and arbitration,
The scale committee of the miners
union having agreed at Hazelton yes
terday to accept the award under pro-
test to be followed by the making OF
new demands. it was expected a settle
ment would soon be reached 1t was
SAID by some representatives of the
mining industry that the operators might
baik at signing the agreement at once
while thousands of men are idle.
$lS.OO0,OO Back Pay.
The signing of the new wage scale
carries with it the paying of SIS. .O00. .000
to the miners of back pay dating from
April 1. AS the miners do not care IN
lose their back wages it was said TO-DAY
tney viii take no chances and the lead.
ers will urge the men to return to work.
The union leaders declare that the men
VINO went on vacation" did so without
the sanction of the organization.
Ihe award OF the coal commission
gives the men wage increases ranging
from l. to 25H per cent The miners
contended for at least a 81 per cent
to be presented will provide that the
anthracite miners be given the same
relatlEe increase in wages as had
been granted the soft coal miners.