Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-11

whose rODulLilDD UET t-fh 'N'aNN W a
worry to himself and to everybody n
else for six months or more, LIS about S
40 undergo a rigid diagnosis 10 deter
mine what kind of an operation. IL ~
my. Ia necessary 10 restore him to q
normal health and efficiency. In the o
course Of this diagnosis the merry g
| monarch may be subjected TO what y
surgeons call an explanatory opera Q
ton. Indeed, Under tho authorize G
ton OF Congress- the experts who are o
TO be assembled by President Harding
may do almost anything 10 the patient. {
Congress and the general public !
seem TO DO in much the same frame
Ct mind with respect TO the coal In 9
dustry that was manifested by the 9
harrassed wife Of n chronic Invalid. :
Sometimes" abe said, Il almost Wish
he'd get well or-eomethingi"
When anything gets wrong with
coal the Whole economic and indus
trial establishment g upset, and coal
has been "aillng" for a long time. The
condition became acute aa a result OF
the strike that began last April and
eventually Congress decided that
something had TO be lone about 1t.
Hence the commission Of experts with
a fund OF 100000 10 e1pend and a
years time in which 70 max a thor
ough study 10 determine what should
be done with coal.
II is somewhat of an anomaly that in
this case the patierA itself In no longer
suffering, for the time being at least,
and whatever heroic remedies are 70
be applied are for the benefit Of others.
As 500 az the strikes were settled
! Il was certain that all the miners in
both the bitumInous and anthracite
, fields would nave steady employment
at good wages for at least a year, and
. that all tho operators would have a
ready market for all the coal they can
produce, with prices higher han they
have ever been before. This means
prosperity and c~ontentment for both
miners and operators until the coal
shortage has been provided for.
Under normal conditions. as the
public has been informed repeatedly
! within recent months, the coal indus
d try is over manned and over-rnined.
Q There are too many mines 20 supply
tho tonnage required, and too many
miners to produce that tonnage. The
e result of his so far ~ the operators
are concerned has been that low-coet
mines have had everything their own
d way while coal prices have been de-
4 termined largely on the basis Of
production costs in mines that really
n should not open and these high-cOst
mines a Y shown little II any profits.
Miners Work Only Part Time.
sr SO far as the miners are affected,
the chief trouble has been irregular
g. and Intermittent employment. Thus
o.. a. -a--- - " n-ra e. - - %
I. wage scale unduly high in order that
I'd he may live. when he is working only
a. one-half TO two-thirds of the time. and
r.. his in turn has resulted in increas-
Id ed prices 70 the and in null
r. tplied disadvantages 10 the owners
III of high cost mines.
r Under the strike settlements the min
ut ers have gone back TO work at the old
an wage scales, and in addition to this
n they have every reason 20 expect more
n days of employment and moro over
n time during the next 10 or II months
"a than they have ever had IN a X per-
sir Tod. Accordingly the individual miner
IS elated and feels trAt the strike was
,m well worth all that It cost him. Off
T.. Gals Of the mine workers orsaniza
,m ton, however, are Inclined to loci
of farther ahead. They know that tn
-op wholly satisfactory conditions in pros
pect will prevail only for a limite'
Z, time. and that next year CT the yea
after, the industry viii be back On
IT normal basis of too many worker
and too many mines unless IN N
,ad meanwhile something has been don
nc to stabilize Il.
For this reason these officials wrot
~ -. --s.fg-- 49, m..zlr
the provision for a governmental in
vestigation which resulted in the bi
lne passed by Congress creating the coz
mission Of seven experts to be appoin
ia ted by the President. Leaders Of In
AZ miners realize that permanent goo
~ can come TO their people only throug
a thorough rehabilitation OF the Goa
De industry. and they have promised
cooperate with the commission
su- every way. They a that the inves
I'M tigation will vindicate all the conten
ner lions they AVE made as TO the neces
DTS sity OF wage and working agreement
cen on a national basis.
ere The operators were not so keen 70
vi the investigation, but they agreed
nd 1t and there is no reason to douh
led their good faith. A large elemen
among tnSIn Is awe 70 Ie LAT bAa
ere some reforms or changes must 3
worked out in the coal industry.
,ose PubIIc's Interest is Vital.
The public's interest IN the wor
i'm. about 10 be undertaken by the com
Of mission Is vital. although many pes
de- pie may be prone to jump to the cor
.ha, clusion that everything IS all rigf
n a now that the strike is over. The K
tai cost of the d~islocation in the gre;
fuel industry will not be known Il
months, but as the weeks go by an
-" winter conditions are confronted
will become more and more clear TIL
and UNo "a. S - ,~,t,
a repetition OF the crisis that deye
>per oped this summer.
= L. Every line Of industry and busine'
1hat and almost every household in u
country will feel the effects Of the CO
gest CONTROVERSY and II the general publ
Jni- comes 70 the conclusion that the san
unfortunate state OF affairs is col
the stantly imminent unless something
done II is a foregone conclusion tn
u. something will be done.
lsed. Much viii depend pom the diagnos
!. of the experts and that in turn d
the ponds upon the experts. They a
!. II called upon for a report IN the n q
rlan try as a whole with special referen
this to means OF stabilizing productc
made and under this head comes the a