South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-04-22
FACTION HEADS
DEBATE MERITS
OF COAL STRIKE
Murray. Of Mine Workers,
and Watkins, of Coal Oper-
ators, Debate Question.
SUGGESTIONS OFFERED
Miners Will Call Strike Off if
Congress Will Pass ResO-
luton, Saws Head.

NEW YORK. April -1-Tbo coal
miners viii declare fhe strike off and
ratuTn 90 work. pending negotiations
~ new agreement g. congress will
pass joint resolution or bin apply
ing the bituminous coal commission s.
award Of 1920 90 an soft coal opera
tons Philip Murray vice president
of the United Mine Workers Of
America declared al "A debate on the
coal strike Friday night
Another requirement for the end
of the difficulty he said would be "A
commentator 20 Pres't Harding
TO call a national conference of the
representatives of all operators and
mine workers 20 negotiate new
agreement
lie also recommended as per-
manent policy for regulating prOduc-
ton and stabilizng the industry, the
appointment Of a Representative,
technical and official commission
charged with the duty Of collecting
and Analysing all the facts and with
making sound and appropriate con-
structive recomuNa ndations
The subject debated was what
lies back OF the coal strike and what
lies ahead" Mr. Murray presented
The miners size OF the controversy
and Thomas Watkins president of
the Pennsylvania coal and coke COM
pany. the operators viewpoint.
PubIic's Attitude.
The public's attitude was inter
preted by Harry a Garfield, presi-
dent Of Williams College. who was
national coal administrator under
former president Wilson and by
Robert Rruere. director of the bu-
reau OF industrial research.
Mr.. Murray's suggestion was Of
fe-ed as a solution Of the problems
OF the future in bituminous coal
mining This problem. he said, OBJ
viousIy was Ito secure a resumption
Of operations on stable and uni
form basis-a basis which would
place the non-union operator on a
parity with the uuiOn operator and
which would ultimately provide
practical plans for regularizing pro-
duction and employment and for
eliminating the wastes To the con-
sumner which now arises from over
expansion.
The application of the award Of
The presidents coal commission OF
1920 TO union and non-union fields.
AIR Murray stated would remove
from the union operators the me-
mace OF the vicious competition OF
non union operators and bring about
uniformity i'm wages and working
conditions
As soon as these conditions were
brought about ne added, there
would be no opposition 10 a national
conference OF operators and mine
workers and new WorkiuE agree
mcnt without doubt would be nego-
tiated. The industry gould then re-
sumo operations under favorable
conditions and await the report OF
the coal commission as 20 construc-
live measures for the permanent
solution Of the more fundamental
problems of over expansion and ir-
regularity Of operations"
pr Watkins coutended that the
operators had encouraged the people
~ collective bargaining between min
ers and operators in large groups.
uut DO has temporarily broken down
by the action of the mine workers.
Their failure 90 spread their con-
5roI ovcr tro large non-uuiou fields
90 Pennsylvania West Virginia and
other states can partly be attrihut-
cd" ne said "to the fact that they
have broken away from the true
principles or collective bargaining
and have adopted autoCratic coer-
Give methods In the orgauized fields.
aiI OF which Is known and has caused
thc stubborn resistance which you
see today among both miners ana
operators I'm the uou-union fields.
Further 70 is quite natural that such
large organization would ind IL
SELF unable 90 control the ideas or a
membership running between 500
600 and coo 600. The result has been
that the organization is pcrmcated
with men holding radical. commun-
.stIC IDEAS
Sandhag at Heads
collective barEa ming gradually
faded away" he added. and for
Confined ON page twOo