The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-13

question 40 to which side won the
coal strike is, heard on every hard
nov that the controversy which
paralyzed the great fuel industry
Tor i've months ID at an end, tenn
porarily speaking. 1t may not be
important, and it may be difficult
to give an answer that will stand
unchallenged, but there is . gen
eral and altogether reasonable de-
sire to know whether the big light
was q draw or whether the miners
or the operators can claim the VIC
tory.
Az matters stand there was no
decision. In fact, there was no
referee, unless President Harding
may be said to have occupied that
unenviable position, and if the
president was the referee he has
not seen fit to tell the public what
he thought as to the result
1t is possible, however, to review
the causes of the strike, to state
what happened during the conflict
and to Approximate the situation
now that it is all over. That may
shed some light on the moo.sd
question
The miners through their union
had wage contracts or agreements
which expired March 81 last. The
bituminous operators declined tc
meet with the representatives of n;
miners in national conference.-the
negotiate new agreement. The
miners claimed that this was il
and of itself violation of the con.
tract between the operators anf
them. The latter claimed that in
asmuch as such an agreement
might be held to be a conspiracy il
violation of the antitrust law the.
could not be expected to enter intt
conference.
In the anthracite field the opera
tors met with the miners to worl
out new contract covering wage
and working conditions, but n,
agreement was reached up to ant
including March 81. Thereupol
the miners in both fields declines
to got to work on April l, and tn,
strike was on. 1t was not called ;
strike by the miners, but just as tn,
rose would smell as sweet if callet
by any other name, what happene,
in the coal industry had all the ef
feet of strike, whatever anybod,
decided to call it.
What Was at Issue.
The bituminous miners had no
presented any demands as to tn
new wage contract, so it cannot b
said that they struck against
wage reduction. 1t was wei
known, however, that the operator
were determined that there shout
.. be a wage reduction, and that tn
miners were insistent upon a con
: tinuance of the old wage scale. Tn
union was also determined that til
check-off system should be perpet
uated, while the operators wer
equally set upon its abolition. Tn
!, check-of, be it remembered, is tn
arrangement whereby the unio
dues and fees are withheld frou
|. the miners pay by the operator
and turned over to the treasurer q
the union.
In the anthracite branch of tn
coal industry the miners demande
j, a wage increase and asked for tn
establishment of the check-of sys
: tenn, which has never prevailed j
those fields. The operators, on tn
other hand, contended that ther
/ should be a wage reduction. Ther
' were other issues, but none of SUI
ficient Importance to have cause
h strike or lockout.
4 Now as to what transpired du!
4 ing the strike it may be said that i
the bituminous mines productil
4 ceased wherever the miners b,
n longed to the union and in sou
, Independent fields the workers wei
O out as evidence of their compile,
: sympathy with the strikers. tt
s unior miners held their forces il
|. tact throughout the period of IL
+ strike, and the only soft coal tn;
was produced came from the mo-
union mines. This amounted
= from 100000 to 100000 tol
weekly as against normal produ
e ton or demand of 5000, 900 to 4
t 000, 900 tons per week.
# In the anthracite fields produ
ton came to an absolute stop. N
y all Of the miners there belong
IS the union, but the operators a
l. closely organized, they have alwa
,e conducted their business on Il
basis of the agreement with ii
le union and none of them would u