The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-04-04
HOUSE IS PROBING
THE COAL STRIKE
Investigating Reason Why 6OO,-
900 Coal Miners Stopped
Work Last Saturday.
(ev The Associated Press)

WASHINGTON, April 3-DlScuSSing
before the house labor committee to-
day reasons whyt 100000 anthracite
and bituminous coal miners stopped
work last Saturday in the United
States and Canada, John L. Lewis,
president OF the United Mine Work
ers of America and official leader of
the strike, declared that the anthracite
workers had gone out merely to await
the results of a peaceful negotiation
with their employers over new wage
scale but that the bituminous workers
were out indefinitely, If need be, to
obtain the signing of a basic wage
contract.
The bituminous workers, Mr.. Lewis
declared before the committee, WhEch
IS considering the Bland resolution to
direct appointment by the president of
a commission to investigate the coal
industry, are out to stay indefinitely
if need be, until the operators Of the
central competitive field Of Ohio, In
diana, Illinois and Western Pennsyl-
vania sign up a basic wage contract
according to their pledge, on which
the other coal mining districts OF the
United states can settle.
In reply to questions by Represen-
tatiye Black, democrat, Texas as to
why the union would not settle with
operators in states and districts where
work could be resumed under satisfac-
tory conditions, Mr.. Lewis insisted
that competition would not permit the
operators to fix wages locally without
i a knoWIedge OF the wage scales their
competitors would have.
| "Even if the operators of Illinois,
! for instance" he added, "are willing
to sign up a new scale for themselves.
without regard to their competitors,
the United Mine Workers are unwill-
ing to have It's members in Ohio,
Western Pennsylvania, Indiana and
West Virginia, dragged into the suf-
fering of long strike, while the llli-
nois mine owners take the markets. =
Although holding that a national
wage scale was the first essential Mr..
Lewis told Chairman Nolan Of the
house committee, if congress or any
! body else could get a representative
number of operators from all the cen
trail fields into a conference, those
tcontrolling a substantial tonnage
mean, / shall advise the United Mine
lWorkers-and I think they will take
my advice-to negotiate with them
! for new contract
Short of this step. he added, miners
and operators comforting by districts
would "just be talking-doing no
good" In speaking of the general
condition of the industry, Mr.. Lewis
referred for the most part to bitumi-
nous matters in view of the wider
, scope and Importance of that industry
as compared with anthracite. AL
though the United Mine Workers
stood for naturalization of the coal
| mines, with adequate assurance tc
property owners involved" he classed
government ownership as impossible
at this time"
Miners know that they can't hope
to get more than 215 days work a year
as .n4ngs stand" he declared, "and
/ that. part time operation tends to in
crease its scope year after year. Loathe
as some people may be to face the djf-
ficulties and hazards, II private in
dustry cannot work out this problem
regularize employment and stabilize
outputs, it may be necessary for gov
ernment to assume the burden. be-
ilieye congress could we'll set up q
Tribunal or bureau to investigate, al
least, and give the facts which might
determine policy"
Mr.. Lewis paid his respects to what
he termed "a general financial demand
| for liquidation of labor and deflatior
of wages" by declaring that there was
It'nothing constructive in the business
viewpoint today, and depression can
mot he overcome by cutting wages an6
further lowering the purchasing power
lof labor" The non-union operators
especially those of West Virginia, hi
said were "Ishmaelites OF industry
whose hand is against industry whe
are fomenting industrial difficultie:
! that they may get high prices"
/ BE sure that If this do-nothins
policy Of business leaves the issues t
be fought out" he said, with the
government standing aside as a neu.
tral observer, the public viii have t.
foot the bills"
The industry itself was "tremen.
dously wastefuL" he asserted. in it
intermittent operation,l and likewise
Perpetrators got used to large margins
of profit during the war and want tt
iretain them" in general, he declared
THAT neither the anthracite nor tn.
Ibituminous miners had secured wag,
lscales which kept pace with the ad
! Ccontinued on Page 81