The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-12

peal must be taken to the labor board,
which represents not only the miners
and operators, but the public as well.
Three ways are proposed by which
dispute may be Brought before the
board. First, the board shall take
jurisdiction in case upon the appli-
cation of any operator or organization
of employees whose members are d.
rectly interested in the dispute; Sec
ond, the board may proceed upon the
written petition of not less than 100
unorganized or. non-union employees
who are directly interested in the dis
pute in question; or, third, the board
may act on it's own initiative If it is
of the opinion that the dispute "is
likely substantially to interrupt com
merce." The board may thus act in
any dispute with respect to wages,
hours of labor and other working con-
ditions.
The board, once it has taken juris-
diction in case, must render its de-
cision within so days, unless this per-
iod is extended by agreement of the
parties, and there can be no decision
by the board except by the concur
renee of at least five of the nine mem
public group must join in the deci-
sion.
No Penalty to Enforce Decisions
No penalties are provided for viola
tons of the decisions of the labor
board. When the transportation act
was under consideration in congress
! this question of creating a board with
out giving it power to enforce its de-
crees was debated at length, but in
the end it was decided wisest to leave
such persons as would not abide by
the decisions of such a tribunal sub
! ject only to the condemnation and op
probrium that would be visited upon
them by public opinion. In the ex
perience of the Railroad Labor board
only one or two of its DEGREES have
been evaded or defied, and it Is be
lieved that public opinion can be as
/ efficacious in enforcing labor boards
decision as any penalties in the form
of fines that might be provided.
The board, however, does have au
thority to compel the appearance o
witnesses and the production of pa
pers and documents. Any membe
may require by subpoena the attend
ance of any witness and the produc
ton of any book, paper, document o
other evidence from any place in tn
United States at any designated plac,
l'of hearing, and in case of failure t
comply with any subpoena, or in cas-
of the contumacy of any witness az
:. lpearing before it, the board may in
woke the aid of any United States dis
tr:ct court. Such court may there
upon order the witness to comply witt
the requirements of the subpoena, o
to testify, and any failure to ODE
such an order may be punished a
contempt of court in the usual mar
, fner. Witnesses are also liable t
prosecution and punishment for pei
, jury committed in testifying befor
the board.
Any person who upon demand Q
any member or duly authorized rel
, resentative of the board shall refus
, access to and the right to copy an
, book, account, record, paper or CORE
+ spondence relating to any matte
! which the board is investigating
, subject to a penalty of $500 fine fC
' each such offense.
In addition to the settling of di
> putes, the Kenyon bill gives the pr
! posed labor board the following add
5 tional functions:
: shall investigate and study the r
: lations between operators and the
:, employees, particularly questions T
5 lating to wages, hours of labor, an
conditions and regularity of emplo
s ment; shall gather, compile, classif
/ digest, and publish, from time to tim
f data and information relating to sue
l. questions to the end that the labC
: board may be properly equipped /
It perform its duties under this act al
u that the public may be properly i