The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-18
STRIKE OF MINERS,
 RAILR0ADERS, IS MORE THAN LIKELY
0cntinued From pa.. one,

cuss their grievances and shape wage demands will do. That will be the situation at Indianapolis next Tues day when the United Mine Workers of America, open their biennial con- vention. There is almost certain to be discussion of the present part time working week-fn many fields but two days out of the six-the scanty earnings of the miners even at the present high wages and action to increase these earnings. True. the small earnings are due to the general lack of demand for coal and not to the wage scale, for If every man had full days work, the pay envelope would be sufficient But that situation will be dwarfed by the reality of the fact that at the pres ent time. with the exception of cer- tain favored localities, miners are receiving minimum pay.
 Inject into that situation a pro- jected railroad strike and the match may be applied to the powder. Any one of 20 radical leaders at Indian apolis is ready to propose an alliance with the railroad workers--to link iQTluHeS ana VIII or lose together. By such an alliance. the miners would have all to gain and little to lose For if the rail workers go out on strike, the miners can't work any how. The coal mines work from hand to mouth, idleness or activity being determined primarily by the car supply. And as rail strike means no cars, the mines would stand idle.
 Industry Now Upset
 The whole situation in the coal industry is beset with trouble. In West Virginia and Illinois. there have been disorders and marching men with grievances. real and fan cied. to remedy. In Washington. the unions are fighting for what they term chance to live. In Kansas, radical leaders have upset the in- dustry time after time within the past 12 months by strikes and inter- ruptions to work. In union fields competitive to nonrunion areas op- orators have sought unsuccessfully to bring about wage cuts.
 And capping the climax comes the formulation of wage demands for the next two years. Also for the first time the anthracite and bituminous workers frame these demands to go into effects on the same day-March 31, 1922. Heretofore, the anthracite agreements have expired on dates different from the expiration of the bituminous mems contract. An an- thracite strike saw the bituminous men at work: bituminous strike saw the anthracite miners busy. This time a strike would affect both branches.
 Nationalization of mines also is coming up, In more vigorous fashion than before at the Indianapolis 8 meeting. The miners want the gov ernment to take over the industry. to nationalize it. They have converted to their belief many men of influ- ence and power who have seen the mounting prices of coal and failed to find check. Some of their ad- vocates are in the Unted States Sen ate. In fact. the present Senate com mittee Investigating the situation in West Virginia is reported to be con sidering a recommendation that the government take over the non-union fields in that state.
 The unions are for such action whole -heartedly. They are looking forward to wholesale indictments of their men in West Virginia as the result of the grand juries investiga- ton of the march on Mingo. They would welcome another deal