Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-04-04
MINERS ARE OUT
FOR LONG PERIOD,
LEWIS DECLARES
CONTINUED From First pagsD

those controlling substantial tom
mango. mean, shall advise the
United Mine workcrs-and ! tAink
,hcy Will take my advice-to ncgo-
,Iate with them for new contract
No Government Central Now.
Short OF this step. he added
miners and operators conlerrIhE ny
districts would Just be talking
doing no good In speaking OF the
general conditions OF the industry
Mr.. Lewis referred for the most part
10 bituminous matters in View nj the
wider scope and importance Of mat
Industry. Although the United Mine
Workers stood for naturalization
of coal mines. with adequate assnr
ancc to property owners involved
he classed government ownership
as impossible at this time.
Miners know that they can't hope
to get more than 2l5 days WORK a
year as things stand" he declared.
and that part-time operation tends
to increase its scope year AFTER year
Loath as some people may ID" I" INC
difficulties and hazards, II private In
dustry cannot work out TINS proD!tm'
rcgularize employment and stabilize
outputs, IL may be necessary for gov
.rnmcnt to assume the burden. ]
believe Congress could well set up IA
tribunal or bureau TO Investigate.
at least. and give the facts which
might determine Il policy"
Rnps business Viewpoint.
Mr. Lewis paid his respects To what
he termed "a general financial de-
mand for liquidation of labor and
dcnation Of wages" by declaring that
there was nothing constructive in
! the business viewpoint today. and
/ depression cannot be overcome by
cutting wages and further lowering
| the purchasing power of labor" The
! nonun!on operators. especially those
| of West Virginia. he said. were
| ''lshmaelites Of industry. whose hand
| is against industry. who are foment-
may get high prices"
BE sure that II this do-nothinE
policy OF business leaves the Issues
/ to be fought out he said. with the
government standing aside as neu-
| trail observer, the public VIII have
! to foot the bill"
/ The industry itself was 'trcmen-
duusly wastcful." he asserted. in its
, Intermittent operation, and likewise
Operators got used 10 large margins
Of profit during the war and wan;
To retain them" In general. lie de-
| clarcd that neither the anthracite
nor the bituminous miners had ''sc-
cured wage scales which kept pace
with the advance Of tho cost of liv-
ing during and after the war. and
surely now they cannot he asked 10
accept less than the small declines
living costs allow, which sum would
be so small as not to affect the con
sumcr's price, even if il escaped the
rniddlcmcn in the markets" Profits
in recent years, in some mines. he
said, .in some cases exceeded the
total mine cost of production of coal"
Against Wnge-FIxing Courts.
Asked TO outline the degree OF
regulation he thought the govern
mcnt might apply TO the Industry
Mr.. Lewis sharply opposed the set
, ting up of wage fixing tribunals. and
likewise said he was not suggest
ing that the government FIX prices
i. The question was not finished whcr
he left the stand for the day TO re-
, sumo tomorrow.
, Representative Bland. Republican
Indiana. author of the resolution be.
fore the committee, asked the strike
, leader to give his view OF the pros
poets I'm the strike.
Il assume that In due time TIL