New-York tribune., 1921-05-21
Coal Operators
w armed of New
Strike I'm 1922
Both Hard and Soft Miners
May Go Out in Spring,
Cornwell Tells Owners;
Urges Appeal TO Public
Deprecates More Statutes
Insists Shortage and High
Prices Can BE Prevented
il Users Spread Buying

John J. Cornwell, former Governor
OF West Virginia, in an address yester-
day at the fourth annual convention of
the National Coal Association, held at
the Waldorf Astoria, said that, in his
opinion, another strike of coal miners
next spring was probable, and that it
would involve both hard and soft coal
operators.
He suggested that the mine owners
anticipate such situation by laying
tnelr cards upon the table and present
ing their problems to Congress, state
legislatures and the public. Mr.. Corn
well said:
I'm my judgment, there may be an
other coal shortage due to country
wide strike, Two ominous signs make
this probable. One is the desperate
effort of the United Mine Workers of
America to organize the coal fields of
the country. The other is the an
nouncement, day or two ago, that the
anthracite and the bituminous miners
have agreed to present their demands
simultaneously.
Public Confidence Vital Factor
"fou will have to meet, perhaps. a
very difficult situation when your CON
tracts expire, or you come to an ad-
Justment OF wages. If you are going
to win this struggle you must have
pubic confidence and public s, mpathy.
had you been left alone--free of gov
ernment interference-you would have
won the last strike more effectively;
the, public would have settled it for you.
The public was in sympathy with
you in the conflict of 1916-I7, but do
not forget that the mine workers. at
least the radical leaders, have TODAY
the same ideas for government control
and operation they had then. And do
not forget they are in close communion
With the leaders of the coal workers in
E1ngla who recently nearly threw
!naV country into the throes of great
industrial strike"
Mr.. Cornwell said the public sbou1d
be told that the remedy for coal d;f-
hculties lies with the people tbem-
selves rather than in the creation of
new statutes. He warned the onsra-
tors that should the railroads hecotoo
"nationalized and socialized" the coal
industry would follow in the same
channel 7"'''e
One of the principal problems of the
ilhuuStry, the speaker went on. was
brought about by the fact that the
market is not continuous, that thou
VI iuie cars Stand on railway
slolllgs Tor months, and that consum
ers demand a full supply of fuel at
one time. az
l am firmly of the opinion" Mr..
Cornwell continued, chat if the GOV
ernment and the statesmen would,
spend less time trying to write stat
utes, and more in an endeavor to cor
rect conditions through natural chan
neis, the country would be immensely
better Off, For instance, if there were
a campaign which would induce users
to spread their purchases over a larger
part of the year, there would be no
necessity for laws regulating the dis
trlbutlon of coal and perhaps none
necessary for the regulation of
charges, for it is coal shortage that
makes high prices"
To Attend Senate Hearing
There was no discussion by the con-
ventlon on pending coal measures. but
a committee was appointed to repre-
sent the bituminous men at the con-
templated conference on the Freline-
huysen bill at Washington. The com
mittee consists of w. K. Field, of pitts
burgh; E. E. White, of Beckley, W. Va
and Ralph Crews, of New York Citv
The convention closed with the cleo
tlon of these officers: J. G. Bradley,
or Dundon, w. Va, president; Alfred
N. Ogle, of Terre Haute, Ind; Erskine
Ramsey, OF Birmingham, Ala: Ira
Clemens, of Pittsburgh, Kan, and J. D.
NJ orrow, Of Washington, D. c., vice
presidents; W. B. Reed, of Washington.
y; e., secretary, and j. j. Tierney, of
Philadelphia, treasurer.