Arizona republican., 1922-05-25
Labor Board for Coal Industry

/ the public group must join in the de-
cision.
No Penalty to Enforce Decisions :.
No penalties are provided for vio-
lations of the decisions of the labor
board. When the transportation act
was under consideration in Congress
this question of creating a board
without giving it power to enforce
its DEGREES was debated at length,
but in the end it was decided wisest
to leave such persons as would not
abide by the decisions of such trib-
unal subject only to the condemna-
ton and opprobium that would be
visited upon them by public opinion.
In the experience of the Railroad
Labor Board only one or two of its
DEGREES have been evaded or defied,
and it is believed that public opinion
can be as efficacious in enforcing a
labor boards decision as any pen
alties in the form of fines that might
be provided.
The board. however, does have
authority to compel the appearance
of witnesses and the production of
papers and documents. Any member
may require by subpoena the attend
ance of any witness and the produc-
tion OF any book, paper, document or
other evidence from any place in the
United States at the designated place
of hearing. and in case of failure to
comply with any subpoena, or in case
of the contumacy of any witness ap-
pearing before il, the board may in
yoke the aid of any United States
district court. Such court may there
upon order the witness to comply
with the requirements OF the sub
Fus
to obey such an order may be pun
ished as contempt of court in the
usual manner. Witnesses are also
liable to prosecution and punishment
for perjury committed in tesiifying
before the board.
Any person who upon demand of
any member or duly authorized rep
resentative of the board shall refuse
access to and the right to copy any
book, account. record, paper or cor
respondence relating TO any matter
which the board is investigating is
subject to penalty of $500 fine for
each such offense.
In addition to the settling of dis
putes the Kenyon Bill gives the pro-
posed labor board the following ad-
ditional broad functions
Shall investigate and study the
reidllOnS between Op6TdlOfS diu
their employees, particularly ques-
tions relating to wages, hours of la
Dor, and conditions and regularity of
employment. shall gather, compile,
classify, digest, and publish, from
time to time, data and information
relating to such questions to the end
that labor board may be properly
informed: and shall institute meas
ures to stabilize the industry and
regularize employment"
II the bill should become a law
with this provision in it, the National
Coal Mining Board would have a big
ger job on its hands than has ever
been turned over to any similar trib-
unal, and more power and latitude
to act than has ever been entrusted
to any group of men dealing with in
dustrial relations. 1t would be pos
sible for the board to make a COM
plete survey of the coal industry and
give the public all the facts that are
so essential to the formation OF an
intelligent public opinion as to what
should be done in crises like the one
precipitated by the strike on April /.
It would also be possible for the
board to institute measures that
would revolutionize the entire indus
try which is admittedly in bad way
as result of being over manned
and over mined and in constant
state of turmoil over the unioniZation
problem