The Washington herald., 1922-08-05

PESSIMlSM GROWS
Little Good Hoped for
From Cleveland Coal
Conference.
MANY OPERATORS
REFUSE TO ATTEND
s
/. C.. C.. Amends General
/. C. C. Amends General
Priority Order to Aid
HOusehOlders.

DFdstlC dction Dy the government
to force the production of coal and
avert IL possible the increasing
menace Of a coal famine this win
ter will be taken by President
Harding next week. unless in the
meantime there are promising inti-
nations that a settlement of the
coal strike can be effected through
an agreement between the mine
workers and the operators.
At present there are no such in
timations- The President, however,
Is willing to wait until after the
conference of the representatives
OF the mine workers and a few
OF the operators at Cleveland on
Monday. IL this produces no re-
suits which promise the resumption
OF coal mining upon an extensive
scale. the President has decided,
the time will have come for the in
tervention of the government in
the interest Of the general public.
VIII Seise Mines.
The Presidents plan, as under
stood by some of his advisers, will
be to take over a number of larger
mines. place United States troops
in possession of them and call upon
miners, regardless of whether they
are union or nonunion men, to go
to work for the government with
full assurance of adequate protec-
tion.
That this course will be pur-
sued Is now regarded as a GER
tainty. II is no secret among the
= nj 81 ~
visers that he has little hope that
the Cleveland conference will ad-
vance the nation any closer to an
aeequate fuel supply than 1t is at
present :
In the meantime. every day lost
only Increases the prospect of suf-
fering and tremendous Industrial
losses in the months to come. As
the head of the government, the
President, IL is understood. believes
that any action that may be neces-
sary to lessen the dangers and to
compel a resumption of mining will
be justified by the service rendered
the public.
Few to Attend Conferences.
The Information received by the
government OF the number Of oper-
conference on Monday affords no
basis for hope that conditions can
be materially bettered by that
meeting.
A total production of not more
than 5O.oO0.oo0 tons of coal. 1t is as
serted. will be represented on the
operators side. too little to be an
important factor in the solution of
FL
In the meantime the officers of
the general mine workers organi-
zations are striving to close the
mines in the nonunion districts. and
their success would add greatly to
the difficulty and threatening char
acter of the situation. The circum-
stances have all forced the Presi-
dent to the conclusion that there
should be no further temporizing
upon the part of the government.
&c. c. Amends Priority order.
The Presidents program thus far
has been mapped out with refer
ence solely to the bituminous mines
of the country. 1t Is expected that
an agreement will bring about a
resumption Of mining in the an
thracite mines. But IL is definitely
understood that should an agree
ment between the anthracite work.
ers and operators be delayed that
the Presidents policy will be car
ried out in the anthracite regions
as in the bituminous.
The /. c. C. yesterday issued an
amendent to its general priority
service order so as to bring within
the priority provisions bituminous
coal which has passed over screens
of four inches or larger opening,
coke. and anthracite coal to be
shipped to retail dealers for house
hold use.
The ADMINISTRATORS coal distri-
button machinery Is now ready to
function, and Federal Coal Dis
tributor Spencer expects the ma
chinery to start running by Mon
day.
District committees in the seven
ronfsnsspd nu pane Thu