New Britain herald., 1922-04-01
Daily Loss of Production 303,00O Tons of An- thracite and Wage Loss Is $So0,Oo0
First Time for Strike in Both Hard and Soft Coal Mines.
(By Associated Press)

Npy ASSOc1ated PreSS)
 For the first time in history botl bituminous and anthracite union coa fields were idle today as the result ol the cessation of work by 600, 900 min CTS, effective at midnight last night.
 Union officials asserted that 1 co, ,0O( non-union miners were included jr the walk-out and that 5000 of the 7,5OO mines in the country were shut down.
 Daily loss of production in antl1ra. cite fields was estimated at 3O3,oOr tons and the daily loss in wages al present rates in that branch of the industry at sS00,000, affecting 20,O0t families.
 First day Of the nation wide sus- pension fell on the anniversary of the adoption of the eight hour day, April l, 1898. As the day has been general ly observed as holiday in normal times, today's estimates of the com- pleteness of the suspension were not regarded as final.
 Ample forces were left on duty for necessary protection of the mines.
 The administration in Washington
  icy.
 Philip Murray, vice. president of the United Mine Workers of America pro- posed congressional action to prohibit over development of the coal indus try.
 The northwest reported supplies sufficient for about two months with more than 1S,0o0,ooO tons piled up by the railroads and at the Duluth docks at the head of the Lakes.
 President Lewis of the mine work CTS, planned to leave Indianapolis to- night for Washington, to Hay the miners case before the house labor committee on Monday"
 Operators in the Morgantown dis trict of West Virginia announced they would reopen on Monday on an open shop basis
 =. Situation in Wilkes Barre
 Wilkes Barre, Pa, April 1.-Opera- tions in the anthracite coal fields were at standstll today under the sus- pension order of the United Mine Workers of America,
 Reports from all sections of the three districts were that the 5S com panies operating the 26o colieries and employing 155,000 men and boys were idle
 It was the first general suspension in the anthracite fields since 1912 when a new wage scale was signed on May 20 and was ordered by the union pending the signing of a wage %o %o1y which expired yesterday.
 Operators and officials of the union alike agreed that the toeup would be 100 per cent effective. Only such men as are needed for the maintenance of equipment and the protection of prop erty-approxmately 5000 - will re- main at work, it was stated
 Leaders Confident.
 Indianapolis, April 1.-Confident that the suspension of work begun at midnight by union coal miners would result today in a complete tieup of the countrys unionzed fields, officials of the United Mine Workers of America at it's headquarters here awaited re- ports from district leaders showing the exact effectiveness Of the shut down.
 At least 600,000 men-100,00 of them non-union miners-were expect ed by the union to be enrolled in the walkout, which is planned to con- tinue indefinitely in an effort to force operators to accept the miners terms for new wage contracts. Preliminary reports to headquarters were said to indicate that few operators, who con- duct their mines on the "closed shop basis, planned to attempt the contin- ued production.
 Tic Up Two Fields.
 For the first time in the history of l the coal industry, union officials said l both soft and anthracite coal fields were tied up simultaneously, and the | union estimate was that 5000 of the | 7,500 mines in the country were | closed as a result of the walkout. The | only production by union workers was | from Kentucky, where 5000 | miners are under contract to work for | another year.
 Indiana Field Closed.
 Reports received at district head  quarters of the miners union indicat- ed that the tieup in the Indiana field where 26,000 union miners were em- ployed, was complete. All miners trains used in transporting the work CTS to and from the mines were or dered stopped by the owners until the of work is ended.
 The first day of the nationwide fell on the anniversary of the adoption of the eight hour day Tor the miners.
 April 1, 1898, the miners of the central cometitive field, comprising western Pennsylvania. Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. gained this concession rom the operators. Since then the tight hour day has spread into other ields. Tn the past, April 1 has been ,ne Of general celebration among ( irion miners in recognition of the tight hour day. In the future. union , officials said, the day also will mark I
 <Conti,u,4, or TWolffh paRe1