The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-03-31
Last Work Under Pres
ent Wage Scale Fin
ished Today = Com
plete Tie-up of Union
Fields Slated for To-
morrow In Twenty
States = Likely That
100000 Menu n i o n
Men Will Go With
Them-President Lew
is Will Direct Strike

INDIANAPOLIS. March 31.-(By the
Associated Press 1.-The last day ol
work under present wage contracts
was completed today by the country
half million union coal miners. VI
fcially their suspension of work was
set to begin tonight at midnight, Dut
virtually it was to start six hours
ahead of schedule for most miners
make their shift in the mines at that
known a little more than Il month
however will not be an exact GER
taintv until tomorrow, the first day
of the shut down.
A complete tie up of union helds
in twenty states was predicted today
by officials of the United Mine work
ers of America at the union headqnar-
ters here, and they also asserted that
100000 non-union workers would lay
down their picks. President John l..
Lewis said at least 100000 men would
ioin the walkout, his estimate includ-
ing the non-union participants. No
final instructions to district leaders
were planned to be issued today from
union headquarters and officials de-
Cldrou any move dN6IlluS lhC ouopSh
sion was now impossible.
1--WE are ready for a fight, forced
on us by the operators" declared Mr..
Lewis. We have sought in every hon
orable way to get new contracts but
the operators have persistently re-
fused to deal with us. Then, too. the
powerful non-union interests have
tried in every possible way to per-
suade the union operators to fight the
United Mine Workers in order that
the non-union interests may reap a
financial harvest by operating during
the strike
Twenty states will be affected by
the shutdown, and the only union
men expected to continue coal pro-
ducing are five thousand workers in
Southwestern Kentucky, whose con-
tract with the operators does not eX-
pire until April 1, 1928. In addition
forces of the union. men will be left
in the mines to protect the property
3 from damage.
Pennsylvania will turn out the
largest number of men, and other
states to be affected are West Vir-
ginia, Ohio, Indiana. Illinois. Iowa,
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkan-
sas, Texas. Alabama, Tennessee, Ken
lucky, Maryland, Michigan, Montana,
Wyoming, Colorado and Washington.
Western Canada is also expected to
join the suspension, but not the Nova
Scotia district
Not only is Pennsylvania expected
to send out the greatest force OF
union men, but also the union officials
anticipate an exodus of the non-union
miners in that state. The anthracite
districts which are half unionized are
expected to be shut. down completely
and in addition many bituminous
mines from the central part of that
state have been called on to join with
the union men there. West Virginia
Kentucky, Alabama, and Washington
alro are expected by the union Off
cials to experience idleness at the
non-union mines of those states, the
most important of these strikes being
from the New River and Winding
Gulf fields of West Virginia.
The duration of the suspension in
the union fields, as also the strike al
the non-union mines, is a matter o.
conjecture. The shutdown begins
with warm weather approaching anC
with stocks on hand the largest a
any time for the last several years
Government reports place the stock!
at 63,000.000 tons, quantity as large
as that which had been accumulated
at the end of the war-armistice day
Nov. IL, 1918. This supply, govern
ment officials estimate, will meet ev
cry demand for forty-three days ant
the depletion of this reserve is re
garded by union officials as necessar!
before they expect the bituminous op
orators to indicate any willingness t.
confer with the union on new wag
contracts
Anthracite operators, however, ar
already conducting wage negotiation
with the union and an earlier settle
ment in those fields is promised thai
for the principal soft coal districts
Not all. OF the latter fields, however
are thought to be able to Withstand
long strike and in a drawn-out strus
gle the fight may center in tn
strongly organized central competi
tive field, comprising western Penn
sylvania. Ohio, Indiana and Illinois
and the Southwest Interstate district
including Iowa, Missouri. Kansas. Al
kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
For the nDn-union miners joinin
the shnt@doWn, the union does no
plan % dnRnoe their idIeness; Official