Evening star., 1922-07-23
BY HENRY J. ALLEN,
Governor OF Kansas.


Special Dispatch to The Star
TOPEKA. Kas.. July 22.-In Kansas
the industrial court act provides for the
protection of the public against the
cessation Of an essential industry. Coal
mining is an essential industry.
The industrial act provides an i'm
partial tribunal of three men whose
business it is to adjudicate contro-
versies between operators and miners
when the two parties can no longer
agree. The law also provides as a
last resort that the state may take
over the coal mines and operate them
In the public interest for the purpose
of protecting the people against a
famine in fuel. The court has power
tect those who are at work against
interference in any form. either by
violence, threats, intimidation or So
called peaceful picketing.
Made Temporary Order.
In Kansas Immediately prior to the
cessation of mining on April l the
court of industrial relations made
temporary order permitting the con-
tinuance of the old wage scale and
working conditions for period or
thirty days to enable the operators
conclude negotiations for new con :
tract The operators did not object
to such order and offered 10 coui-
mence negotiations immediately Ihe
mine leaders declined the dement's OF
such order The Industrial court them
directed the operators to resume MIN
ing for the purpose of meeting the
Kansas demand as it arose. guaran-
teeing protection to the mines ana 10
the workers.
once with the understanding that
the mine owners should keep sur
ficient number of properties operat,
ing to produce all the coal neeoeo
for Kansas domestic and industrial
uses If the operators themselves
failed in this, then the state would
take over the mines. The operators
have been very successful Tor man!
weeks and are now producing over
half of the normal annual output AT
the mines. The state guarantees that
the men who are working IN the
mines shall have full protection from
those who are out and that an IN
vasion of the rights of any man VINO
is at work by q striker VIII De
promptly punished. 1t has been nee
essary to make only a few arrests.
Troops have not been needed to pro-
tect the rights of the men who are
at work. Something like so per cent
of the normal force is now producing
over 90 per cent OF lnt ltl mai out
put As the demand for coal IN
creases, more mines are opened and
the number of men willing to work
grows every day.
No Wage Controversy.
There has been in these operations
no controversy as to wages. The
operators and the men now at work
have agreed to rate of compensa-
tion which seems to be entirely sat
isfactory to both sides. 1t has been
understood from the beginning that
IL any complaint were made as to
compensation the industrial couRt
would take the situation in hand and
determine the minimum wage. The
mere presence of this protection to
both sides has been all that is neces-
sary. When the operators realized
that the men would be protected
against as unfair wage and the men
realized that they could depend upon
the state for just adjudication, they
have settled the question for Them
selves without coming to the court
just as men in other controversies
settle their litigation out OF court
upon a basis of what they know their
legal rights to be.
In my judgment every coal mining
state could solve it's problems by the
adoption of an industrial law which
would guarantee the public against
the cessation of the industry, guaran-
tee the miners fair and just wage
and the operators protection against
unjust demand. We have reached a
point where two things are perfectly
apparent: First. the strike Is not a
remedy and its application to the
situation is always more ruinous to
the public, the laborers and the oper-
ators than it is helpful. Second. arbi-
tration Is q failure because 1t at best
leads only to an unsatisfactory COM
promise. Those who sit on boards of
arbitration are not judges. but advo-
Gates of one side or the other.
Judges Are Impartial.
An industrial court Is an effort to
secure the composition of the contro-
versy by impartial judges who have
no Interest in the case except the in
terest of Justice.
Impartial judges have been able in
this country to secure justice in rela-
tion to the most sacred rights. They
pass upon property, liberty. life. They