New-York tribune., 1922-09-18
Kansas Labor
Court Success.
Allen Insists
Declares Tribunal Has Rem
dered As Decisions and
43 Have Been Accept
ed by B o h Parties
Mines Ran During Strike
Governor Says There Was
No Danger of Shortage
i'm State at Amy Time


WASHINGTON, Sept. 1.-THE be-
nefacent results obtained by the Kan
sas Industrial Court law are described
in letter received to-day from Gov
ernor Henry j. Allen by Represen-
tative Hoch. of Kansas, who recently
introduced in Congress bill setting
up @ disinterested tribunal for the
settlement Of railroad disputes.
Representative Hoch telegraphed
Governor Allen that charges had been
made here that the Kansas law was
Intellectual. In his reply Governor
Allen disclosed that the court, acting
as a court of adjudication, has rem
dercd forty-five decisions which re-
late to wages and working conditions
in the industries of transportation,
fuel and food. Of these forty-five de-
cisions forty-three have been ac-
cepted by both employees and en-
ployers. Ninety per cent of The cases,
Governor Allen said, had been brought
by employees.
"The industrial relations act" Gov
ernor Allen said, "has been applied
dustry during the last two years than
to any one Of the four main industries
declared by the law to be essential
to the public welfare. During the last
year of mining conditions prior TO
the establishment of the industrial
court there was an average of thlr-
teen and one-half strikes month in
the Kansas field, and the average num-
Der of days employed by miner was
14l for the year.
Worked 256 Days in Year
"Under the Court of Industrial Rela-
tions the average number of days en-
ployed was something over 256. When
Howat went to Jail at Columbus he de-
clared that no coal would be mined in
the district while he was in Jail. The
state reminded the miners that any
man who wished to work in a mine
would be given protection. Imme-
diately 800 or 400 miners went back
to work. This number increased daily,
until by the time Howat had served two
months the pay roll in the mining dis
trict was normal.
"When the present coal strike ar
rived the Industrial Court made sur
vey for the purpose of ascertaining the
coal reserves, and found that all of the
coal cars and practically all of the coal
bins of the state were full. An un-
usual supply had been produced in an
ticipation of the threatened strike. The
court notified the operators that it
would be necessary to operate the
fuel for the domestic and industrial
purposes of the state
at was made clear, Of course, that if
the operators could not secure this
production it would be necessary for
the state to take over the mines under
the provisions of the law and to oper-
ate them under government direction
to prevent fuel famine. The opera
tors pledged their cooperation, so it
was unnecessary for the state to take
over the mines. At the end of the first
month of the strike the coal surplus
having diminished somewhat, few
mines began to operate, producing
something like 27 per cent of the nor
NAL output Each month the produc-
| tion was increased, and at no time was
there shortage of coal, either for do
mestic or industrial purposes, in this
state.
Coal Shipped During Strike
"The total production of coal in Kan
sas during the strike has not only
enabled us to supply fuel for all in
dustrial and domestic purposes in Kan.
| sas, but to send a considerable uuan-
| tity out of the state to supply neigh
boring needs. On the day OF the
Herrln massacre in Southern Illinois
at the strip mines Kansas was oper.
ating more than 500 deep shaft mines
| piled normally by the county sheriff
There were 1900 men at work. There
were eight or ten thousand miners
| out of work, but those who were not
at work did not molest those who were
employed.
Doubtless the presence Of Alexan.
| der Howat and, dozen of his fellow
officers in Jail at Girard served as q
constant reminder of the serious pur.
| pose OF the government to enforce the
law, which guaranteed safety to every
man while he was at work.
"In the recent railway strike the
court has not been able to enter into
the merits Of the case. 1t has beer
an interstate strike, following the
award of the Federal board, and the
action of the national leaders has de-
prived the members of the crafts from
placing their cause before the Kansas
! court upon It's merits. Therefore, the
only provisions of the law which have
been operative are the -picketine
provisions and such other regulations
as guaranteed the public the continu
Gus operation of transportation.
Denies Gompers's Assertion
IL notice that Samuel Gompers con.
tirues TO declare that the Kansas court
has failed because it has not put 81
the strikers in jail. If Mr.. Gompcrs
had read the Kansas law he know,
that this is a ludicrous argument. 1t is
apparent to any intelligent. man who
reads it that it is not the purpose oi
the law to send men to Jail for re.
lp<ss11~as sesMYS2SYl