The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-03-30
Nothing But a Miracle
and Immediate Accept
ance To Nineteen De-
mands Can Keep Coal
Miners From Striking
April First-May I'm
port British Soft Coal

days hence, members VI the dlilLi a
cite subcommittee. on wage contract
negotions today girded themselves for
long, hard struggle over the min
ers' 10 demands.
Nothing but miracle-the immed-
late acceptance OF each and every
one of our demands-can avert the
strike now" said Thomas Kennedy
district president Of the United Mine
workers.
Under the present circumstances it
is probable that the suspension will
go into effect April l, according to the
miners program" said S. d. Warrin-
er, vice president of the Lehigh Coal
and Navigation Company.
Although 8anguine of the ultimate
success of the negotiations now in
progress the six other members of the
Anthracite subcommittee, composed
Of union chiefs and mine operators,
We're convinced that the mines would
be evacuated Saturday.
Phillip Murray, vice president OF
the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea, scouts the report that importation
of British mined soft coal will lessen
the danger OF bituminous coal short
age and thereby hurt the cause of
the miners in the forthcoming strike
I'VE are not afraid of the British
coal" he said. 1T has been imported
before without seriously affecting the
mining industry or the market in
America.
do not thing movement on the
part of the United States Shippind
Board to import foreign coal would
have the sympathy of the public and
thereby create sentiment against the
strike, but the actual effect toward
prevention of shortage or extension
OF the available supply would be neg
lible.
Compared with the weekly produc-
ton of the American mines and the
weekly consumption by American in
dustries, all the coal that could be
brought from England would not
amount to drop in the bucket"
AS the wage negotiations proceed
the miners are becoming more and
more determined that the next con-
tract shall contain an inviolable pro-
vision for installation of the check
or system in all anthracite mines.
One member of the committee OF
eight declared that, unless such pro-
vision was made ali Negotiations to-
ward termination of the impending
strike would amount to nothing.
III. Warmer of the operators dis
missed the question of the miners
demands for the check-off with the
statement that 1T has come up in
every wage conference in the last 20
years. We do not attach any more
significance on this occasion than we
have in the past" he said.
Inc miners assert that the check
eff already is applied by the operators
in the collection of rents, light, water
ana fuel assessments by subtracting
tie amounts from the workers nav
envelope. They seek to have this sys-
tenn extended to the collection of
dues, asserting that it already is COM
mon practice in the bituminous fields.
ana has been declared legal by the
United States supreme court.
indianapolis, Ind, March 29.-Rv
Associated Press)-Great coal strikes
such as the country is now facing.
nave been few although for seventy
flVe years the coal industry had been
marked by almost numberless state
wide and localized strikes, often in
volving several thousands of workers
All OF the big strikes have continued
more than a month, the longest hav-
ing been that of 1902 in the anthra-
cite industry which continued for 20
weeks.
The big strikes, five in number,
are summarized as follows:
1884, First general strike in the
soft coal industry, called by the
United Mine Workers of America,
the purpose being to restore wage
scales that had been decreased dur
ing the panic of '93; 10000 to 16O.,
600 men engaged and militia called
out in four states; first attempt at
a compromise failed, but second con.
ference Of miners and operators end
ed with adoption of a scale agree
ment.
1887, July 4th. waIkout of 100, 1000
miners, called by ID. NJ Ratchford,
president of the U. W. of A., to de-
plete an overstocked market of coal,
which union officials feared, would
result in wage reductions on account
OF the slow coal trade; strike was
called off after twelve weeks dura-
ton, at the end of which the market
had been depleted; first successful
strike Of the U. M. w. of A.
1900. Anthracite strike in Septem-
Der and October engaged 1890 and
ended In miners getting 10 to 16 per
cent increases in wages.
1902, Great anthracite strik. led by
the late John Mitchell, as president |
of the U. NJ. w. of A., lasted 23
weeks, May to October; 100000 men
engaged and finally Gated off when
President Roosevelt appointed a com.
mission that afterward gave the min
ers a 10 per cent. wage advance and
made their contract for three years,
ending April /, 1906.
1919, Nation wide soft coal strike /
in November and December of $685.
900 miners, called off by union in
compliance with a court Injunction. /
obtained by Attorney General Palmer
uader the wartime lever fuel. control |