New-York tribune., 1920-04-23
Allen Explains
Industry Court
To- Publishers
Kansas Mines Have Turned
Out More Coal i'm Last
5 Months Than in ANY
Other 81, He Declares
Is Great. Boon to Labor
Merely Regulates Food,
Fuel and Clothing as
Necessities, He Asserts

"The coal mines of Kansas have
produced more coal in the last
three months than was ever pro-
duced in any other five and q half
months. That means the miners have
been more steadily employed, and.
moreover, it means that next winter
Kansas will begin with coal reserve
instead of a coal famine
In telling speech outlining the oper-
alton Of the newly formed Industrial
Court in Kansas, Governor Henry J.
Allen, of that state, yesterday made
this statement before the annual con-
vention Of the American Newspaper
Publishers Association, in the Wal
dorf-Astoria.
was directly due to the operation Of
the court, and the provision in the law
that prevents the operator of any es-
sential industry from closing down his
organization for any purpose to affect
wages, or to lock out, or to shorten pro-
duction without the consent of the
court.
Didn't Want Reserve
Down in the Kansas mining dis
trict," lie said, "for years the mines
have run about one day week in
the summer time. Why? They didn't
want to make any reserve Of coal. They
preferred to sell upon a market that
was short"
Referring to the need which gave
rise to the establishment Of the court
he said: "All over the land in every
state and in the Federal government
as we'll we have declared that trans
portation is identified with the public
interest, and, therefore, is subject to
regulation, and we have thus regulated
1T. But what Kansas has done has been
to add food, fuel and clothing to those
necessaries Of life that are so identi-
fed with the public interest that they
may become subject to regulation on
behalf. of society.
THAT is all the Kdnsas law has
done. No state, no parliament has
ever created a court like this before.
1t might be called the court of the
pennilcss man. 1t does not cost any
body anything to get into this court.
the labor unions say: You've
taken away the only weapon we had,
the weapon Of the strike It is ade
quate to say that in every honorable
controversy We have given them the
much more effective weapon of the
state government.
Let us see how they have used
this weapon Of the strike down in the
bltuminOus districts Of Kansas. where
$4,000 men make d living at mining.
In three years that ended the first Of
January this year, there had been in
that district 40S strikes of various
sizes--more than eleven strikes a
month. These strikes had gained for
the miners in monetary victories
S778.84 They had cost the miners in
Cor
1T had cost the miners for the purpose
of carrying OH their district organiza-
tion, out of their own pockets,
s157, 900.
Interest Charge Wiped Out
"ln the little while that the court
has been operating we have done more
than Mr.. Howat did for his organiza-
ton in thirty years. We discovered
the other day that if q miner got an
advance on the money he had already
earned. the operator charged him 10
per cent. If the poor miner had to
DO that every week that was an in
terest charge of 500 per cent. Ii had
been going on for twenty-five years
and no labor leader had raised his
voice against it. The court the other
day wiped it out. as it should have
done.
Now going through that district,
engaging the attention of the miners
and their families, there is a welfare
commission. al expert commissioner
under the direction of this court. be-
coming acquainted with living con-
ditlons,. working conditions and all
those things that have been neglected
by the leaders of organized labor in
order that this court may Junction
as the friend OF every man that needs
Members of the association yester-
day pledged themselves not to use any
more nnewsprint during the rest of the
year s',, man they did dur ng the CORE
spending period of last year. This
pledge was taken at the second days
session Of the annual convention, in
View VI, Of the serious shortage Of paper.
The members also agreed to make
monthly reports Of news,rint CON
sumption to committee cI the asso
citation.
The pending legislation IL Congress-