Evening star., 1922-03-31
SAYS COAL PRICES
| SHOULD NOT co Up
Attorney General Sees NJ
Shortage and No Excuse
for Higher Rate.

With general strike in union coal
fields scheduled to begin tonight. Sec
retary of Labor Davis announced last
night that the situation leaves mo
excuse for advance in coal prices"
and no prospect of a coal shortage
for the public.
Reviewing the governments efforts
during the last two months to achieve
settlement in advance of the strike
call. Mr.. Davis expressed keen dis
appointment at the failure of certain
operators to fulflll the terms of their
obligation" to confer with miners for
the making Of new wage agreements
which might have prevented suspen-
sion of work
"All the governments efforts in the
proffer of mediation. conciliation and
compromise" he said. have failed
TO save the country from the national
strike test of economic strength be-
tween employer and employe in the
coal industry. In this effort the
President and myself have had
neither legal right nor personal de-
sire TO dictate any program. Our one
desire has been to induce, by permis-
sion and urGence, the operators and
miners to discharge the Oblisa tion
they assumed themselves. TO confer
again for the shaping of new
agreement"
Miners Willing to Confer.
The miners. the Secretary said. had
always been willing to confer
but the operators. although for diff
ferently assigned reasons in the sew
eral localities, had "tuEned their
backs on a chance to lay bare. not
only to the miners, but to the public.
their reasons for declining a new
the operators. he added. would have
removed any stigma of bad faith
There may be faults on both sides
of this bituminous dispute" he de-
clared. but the side that openly re-
pudiates its written and signed obli-
CATION has crippled it's case before
the bar of public opinion"
The agreement repudiated, the state
ment explained. was that contained
in the wage contract between opera
petitive field. including Illinois. In
diana. Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
which has constituted the basic wage
contract for all other coal fields in
former years The situation as to
anthracite mining, it was added.
operators and miners are meeting di-
rectly together"
Big supply on Hand.
Further complications in the coal, in
dustry. Mr.. Davis continued. We're due
TO the existence of over-production.
amounting to fully 80 per cent over
development in the bituminous fields''
One result of this. ii was pointed out,
was to leave available in storage now
stocks of coal estimated at 100000
tons for anthracite, and 6J.000,000 tons
for bituminous.
This means that railroads. public
utilities. manufacturing industries. and
retail dealers. will have on hand Sat
urday nearly two months supply Mr..
Davis concluded. The operators state
that production from ron-union mines
will meet at least 30 per cent of the
normal needs of the country. AS the
strike in the bituminouS industry is
inevitable. the industry is squarely on
trial before the public. At this stage
it is simply an economic dispute in
which the chief sufferers will be the
miners and the operators themselves.
The administration will watch the de-
velopments and be ready TO safeguard
the public welfare whenever it is men,
aced.'
Any rise in prices. 1le said. should be
reported to Washington at once for
action by the Attorney General