The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1922-04-02

| Check.off
Must Reduce Scale.
! On these issues the strike has been
called The miners are demanding u
six.hOui day and O five day week,
which would give employment arbi-
trarily 10 an excessive number Or
miners and the maintenance OF Il
post wal wage scale fixed on basic
rate Of $3.50 u day, Us opposed 10
the eisht.h1r day, as opposed TO
the eighthour and six.day week, with
supply ana demand fixing the number
of meployes.
Operators insist that the present
scale must ke materially reduced and
the present hours Of work maintained
to put organized mines ON a parity
with the wage levels prevailing In the
non union fields and in other indus
tries.
The six-hour day and fiye.day week
is demanded 10 enable the men In
I the industry 10 WORT more nearly full
time
The fact Is there are more men
I
needed, just as there are more mines
| than are needed The operators would
let supply ana demand for coal auto
matically reduce excess employees.
I While number Of operators have
! decided 10 20 into four.state Joint
conference, all have been willing 10
! meet the miners in state conferences.
Generally, operators in Illinois and
Indiana have been willing 10 partici-
/ pate In four state agreement, while
those Of western Pennsylvania and
southern ONO have refused Why?
When the central competitive field
arrangement was first established,
there was active competition between
western Pennsylvania and southern
Ohio operators on one hand aud llli-
nois and Indiana on the other.
Conditions Changed.
Changing freight differentiais, how
ever, have steadily decreased that
popular fn.-l in Chicago market. Pitts.
burg coal has vanished from the
lower peninsula Of Michigan.
There is no longer any economic
reason for the continuation or the
old four-state arrangement As a re-
suit, operators wish to deal with the
miners of their own particular dis
tricts, whether union or non-union,
and work cut wage scales which
will accord WIN the competitive con
ditions in those respective fields
! As 10 the check off, under which
operators are required to collect the
dues, assessments, and fines OF the
men and hand them over to the
union officials. that was one Of the
practices cited in the indictment ur-
( der the sherman law at Indianapolis
as evidenca Of conspiracy between
/ mipers and operators Naturally, the
/ operators IRE reluctant 10 renew an
agreement 20 fun o! possible dan.
ger.
I Out OF the strike must come q re-
/ adjustment 10 meet postwar condi-
tions OF competition and prices. AT
present it seems safe 10 say that a
60-day strike would entail no Wr'
ticular hardship on business and in.
dustry generally and would NOT eN.
haust stocks TO the point where an
increase IN rrices would occur. The
consumer. therefore, may look with
a fair degree OF eauanimity upon
the approach OF this struggle.
Our industrial fabric has been erect
ed upon foundation OF low cost of
coal This strike is simply one OF
the inevitable steps that must come
II our industrial activity is 10 III
restored 10 sound and enduring
activity In this the householder
the small consumers vitality con
cerned. II means for him lower
ing OF prices not alone for the coal
he buys himself but OF all commcdi
ties into wnicn the use OF coal enters