The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1922-01-20
MINERS WILL fight
To keep WAGES UP
Lewis Tells Miners Meet
ing To Prepare For
Conflict.

lewis, International president af the
United Mine Workers. today told
the Anthracite Miners Wage Conven-
tion that there must be no backward
step In their attitude toward the de-
mand of coal companies to reduce
+ wages. Delivering what the dele
gates in the convention regarded as
a keynote speech for the organized
miners of the country, Mr., Lewis
declared:
when say we will take no
backward stey | say II with an ap-
probation OF what that policy means
and II Il requires an Industrial con-
flict TO avoid taking backward step
then the industrial conflict may
come"
Mr.. Lewis is presiding at the Hard
Coal Miners Convention. which will
formulate wage and other demands
20 be presented to the coal opera
tors before March 81. when the pres
ent contract expires. Wage agree
ments in the soft coal fields expire
at the same time for the first time
in many years.
Predictions have been made by
hard coal miners that instead OF
agreeing TO wage reduction the an
thracite men win demand increases.
among other things.
After the convention adjourned
until tomorrow, a representative OF
the general committee of anthracite
operators gave out statement that
full time operations OF the anthra-
cite mines on the scale heretofore
maintained will not be possible in the
coming year without adjustments
Which will permit reducing the price
TO the consumer q
Says 10000 Miners Idle.
THE conclusion is unavoidable, ("
the setatement said, that full time
production can not be maintained
unless wages are reduced"
After stating that there are more
than two hundred thousand men In
the bituminous mining industry who
are entirely deprived of the oppor-
tunity OF employment. and that the
great majority Of the remainder in !
the bituminous industry are working
broken time, Mr.. Lewis said the talk
OF reducing the wages of men in the
industry who are now enduring the
'privations Of poverty and destitution
is idle.
THE minds Of the business men
and statesmen of America" Presi-
dent Lewis continued. must devise
some other methods of correcting the |
evils in the bituminous industry.
Anthracite miners have been, to
some degree. more fortunate than
their bituminous brothers.. In that
they have had a greater opportunity
for employment.
Nevertheless the schedules they
are paid are less, and they are COM
f%slled to perform a vastly greater
amount of work for the same ratio of
compensation. The acute industrial
and financial depression has not af-
fected the anthracite region to such
a degree as the bituminous regions.
1.-THE opportunity for steadier
work" Mr.. Lewis said, should not
mitigate against the anthracite mine
workers seeking to improve their
condition"
zone thing must be sure. not only
in the bituminous coal fields OF
America, but in the anthracite coal
fields as well in this day there must
be no backward step by the mine
workers of this couptry. 1t makes no
difference to the organized mine
workers that wage reductions have
taken place in other industries and 4
II makes no difference TO the organ
lied mine workers that the men en-
ployed in the non-union sections OF
this country in the coal industry I
have accepted wage reductions; we
do not propose-to have our stand
ards of living gagged by the stand L
ards Of living which obtains among |
these benighted. unfortunate people.
We do not expect to follow the non
union mine workers down the lad |
der Of wage reductions to the morass
of poverty and degradation which
prevails below.
1--WE see thruout the country to-
day an organized propaganda being
carried on. particularly In the bi-
luminous regions, anticipating
wage reduction" said Mr.. Lewis u