The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-26
Frederick Haskin's Letter
especial Correspondence q Arrual
THE PROBLEM OF COAL UNIONS
tspee.al cerrespondence q The ArTt

Washington, d. c., April U.s.
Whether ii is in the general inter-
est to have a basic industry, such
as coal, part union and part non
union is one of the important ques-
lions to which public scrutiny has
been invited, not to say forced, by
the nationwide strike which was
! begun on April /. Union mine
workers and anti-union operators
say that there is. but one answer
to the question, although their ans
wers are Numerically different
The miners, through their spokes-
men, such as John L. Lewis and
Philip Murray, respectively presi-
dent and vice president OF the
United Mine Workers of America,
declare that if the coal industry
was completely organized, all the
ills and evils that characterize ii
would be speedily cured or cor
rected. Also the public would be
saved millions of dollars on its an
! nual coal bill and spared the' gen.
eral business upheavals incident to
strikes and shutdowns.
Anti-union operators, on the 9TH
er hand, assert that it is their sue
cessful opposition to unionization
that prevents complete union DOM
ination of the industry, eventually
leading to the taking over of the
mines by the workers, and that
preventing unionization protects
the public against fuel famine
when strike or shutdown occurs
in the union fields, and against ex-
horbitant prices for coal under nor
NAL conditions.
Many union operators agree with
the officials of the mine workers
that it would be for the best in
terests of everybody concerned if
the industry were 100 per cent or
ganized and say that there Is no
hope for stability of production
and regularity of employment I'M
til uniform wages and working
conditions prevail at every mine
in the country. They also urge that
operators who pay union wage
scales, observe union hours and
subscribe to union working condi-
tons should be subjected to COM
petition with the independents who
can make their own terms with
their miners and hence produce
coal at a cost materially lower
than the cost at union mines.
Other union operators say that
if it were not for the fact that
there is a considerable part of the
industry unorganized it would be
impossible ever to reach fair wage
and working agreements with the
union. Some of these operators
would like to break away from any
and all relations with the union,
while others are willing to go ahead
under conditions that involve rec
ognition of the union, although
they want to see the non-union
mines brought into the union fold.
Non-union miners, being unor-
ganized, have no spokesman, and
it is accordingly impossible to re-
port their views on the question.
However. those of them who con-
tinued to work when the strike
was called may be assumed to be
glad to have chance to work on
the terms established by the indie
pendent operators, although 1t does
not necessarily follow that they
are opposed to the union.
With these divergent claims and
ideas emanating from the individ-
uals and interests directly and self
ishly involved in the coal contro-
versy, the attitude of the general
public may be said to be one of in
quiry. First of all, the public is
concerned to know what the as
certainable facts in the problem
may be, and then, it would natural
ly follow, the public will consider
arguments and opinions and ar
rive at its own conclusions.
What the Facts Are.
At the outset it should be under
stood that the question of union
ization affects essentially only the
bituminous end of the coal indus
try. All anthracite miners do not
belong to the union, but the union
agreements and conditions prevail
throughout the anthracite field, as
was shown by the fact that there
was a complete cessation of an
thracite production when the strike
order became effective on the first
of the month.
In the bituminous fields, how
ever, there are large independent
areas in Pennsylvania, West Vir-
ginia, Kentucky and Alabama. Prior
to the strike, union officials claim
ed that the bituminous industry
was 80 per cent unionized, and
those figures are generally ac-
cepted by economists and by gov
eminent officials. Since the strike,
union organizers report substantial
progress in extending the union in
Pennsylvania independent mines,