New-York tribune., 1922-03-14
Plans
TO Block Coal
Strike Futile
labor Department Officials
Regard V all.-oot April /
as Ccriai'!,. I nie>s Com
ference Eas' T. trransed
Ilicf Coa1crA !, up ply
,s;d No Immediate Prospect
Of Acute Shortage, Count
eu Noa-t nion stock $

eu No2-t ulGn - iock $
y.ss. 7as sf1aHe's Nos.-.yot - eon
vasHINGTON. Marca is. Li1,lc
-, that the gose-amcn; caa peevest
- ,hresterod coal STRIKE Apal was
.oytssed at the Department . Labor
-, to-day Officials said taat there
rs very slight chance that thc gov
..,msnt would be successful in or.ns-
- into conference the coal operators
Il ;he coal miners to discvss a wage
.srsemen'.
II. Department Of lsbor IN its ef-
as 10 bring the opera:ers N contact
- representatives e. rIc mine.s has
-. with the answer. in practically
.,,Yy Instance. taa; Va, wage scale
reed upon the operators cannot con
Vi. with operators roa-unioa mines.
,a,oly those in West Virginia end
s,n,uesy
With government officials. nc,uding
- Secretary OF Labor. practically re
,i,ned to a strike coming April /. thc
HE, concern here is in learning nov.
outh coal Is on hand and ready for
consumption within the coming months.
I vas made clear by the Department.
a, Labor to-day that the government
ass no intention OF using legal methods
% force the joint conference between
~ coal operators and the miners.
Despite the fact that the represent
-tivcs of both groups pledged them
selves to meet again before April /
1922. in an effort to adopt new wage
scale, the operators apparently tee
little disturbed at their violation Of
their word
No Acute Shortage for Present
There IS no immediate prospect Of
~ acute coal shortage. it Was learned
a, the Department. of Labor. With
ammer approaching there remains a.
he surfsce Of tho coal mines and in
sock at consuming ccnters enough
asl to last the country for ten weeks.
rth the probability that coal from
W-unlon mlnes viii swell the supply.
| N bret Secretary OF Labor Davis
IS that the degree Of the govern
sss Intervention in the threatened
d strike must be determined upon
L extent OF the public Inconvenience
ID suffering caused hy the strike. The
fssldent and tho members OF the
ibinet indorse Secretary Davis's
hnd
IN analyss Of INC coal situation. the
.pOse OF which is TO give business
aa Information regarding possible
M supplies In the event of strike
miners April /. was issued to-day
= ne Goa bureau Of the natural re-
Eftes department Of the Chambe
S@mmerce Of the United States. A
Efsl summary says:
irtors which will control supplies
sNe Of a strike that closes the
SA IN union fields will be stocks
N Nfand and output Of non-union fields =
Stocks on Hand Not Known
As the anthracite field is 100 per
cent unlOnized, all supplies in the
event Of a complete closing of the
nlAes Will have to be drawn from
Heeks on hand. Anthracite. unlike
luminous, can be safely stored for
'lg periods. This has made possible
system of distribution compara-
aNy uniform throughout the year.
Reliable figures on which to base
y sestimate covering possible anthra-
a!s supplies in the event of a strike
'npletely closing the mines are no.
a'9alable. There are no figures avail
'ae showing stocks in the cellars of
consumers or in the hands of dealers,
n figures showing the relative rates
oi consumption between summer and
pinter months.
II figures should hold good for all
aealers. there would hp in dealers
aads, normally, on April ], about
months supply Tho following figures
cover approximate stocks Of anthra-
oi'e' domestic sizes. IN hands of pro.
oueers January l, 1902:
~ AZ Eastern points. 100000 tons.
ooo SsUfage Noo at Great Lake ports, l.
az onab8yo,product coke for domestic use,
100000 tons.
Total. 100000 tons.
ne Geological Survey reports that
',S6ed .o,b oltumlnous coal on January |,
* 80. , ,otaied 100000 tons. The sur
ri, Iuf,her states that stocks cannot
;stl d, ,lnol tnuch below 20,000.0OO tons Gas in
~ without danger of coal panic.
,.n nue quantity Of coal, therefore, which
au fan 0e drawn from stocks on hand be-
.J,e .s d serious situation develops is
@Sout @s Z'ooo,OOO tons. To this supply
~utte onta,,. VII be continually added the
OusPqt .sPi OF non-union fields
.Ie strike of 1919 furnishes some
A. ',Gus"t ,L.. as to what may be expected.
az mat time non-union districts fur-
,sneo approximately 900 900 tons ner
tion - assuming TINS years consump-
!. SIN ooo Oe comparable to that of 1921.
---,1OO IONS per week, the supply