, 1922-07-06
End The Coal Strike

llflNloN, the country over Is undivided in its
~ view of the -oal strike situation which the pres
,ident is attempting to adjust. Little attention is
paid to what the operators want or what the min
ers demand, but more and more the question of
what the pubic must have, comes into the -argu-
ment
1t is a cheerful fact that the influential news.
papers speak with greater firmness than ever be.
fore of the peoples right to have fuel when they
need it regardless of disputes between EMPLOYERS
and employees.
Speaking of the efforts of the president to end the
strike the New York Herald says:
president Harding has addressed the coal mine
owners and the coal strike leaders with plain
speech. Nobody can mistake his meaning. TIE eoun-
try needs coal and the country is going to get it.
The strike must end. If the operators and the strik-
ers cannot reach ar agreement as to the terms and
conditions on which the unions will dig coal then
the national government will step in and itself
get the coal out
This is a vastly important ~juncture In the af-
fairs and institutions of the American people. For
the government could not go into this business sin
the name of American safety as a mere emergency
measure to be dropped at any moment with nothing
done toward the final solution of the great coal
problem, with nothing at all achieved, in fact, but
the digging of some coal when the country had to
have it
"The government, once it gets started, will have
to set legislative and administrative machinery in
motion to put the whole coal industry right. The
government will have to correct OF make others
correct all the evils that now afflict the greater
part of bituminous mining. The government will
udft 10 see not only Lnat wage scales are DrODertly
constructed, managed and operated to produce the
best economic results for the industry and for the
country.
"The practice of letting the high cost mines set Mt
the peak the price of coal from all mines viii have
to stop. The low cost mine will have to help carry
the high cast mine, with lower prices for the public
to pay on the combined product and with smaller
profits for the fat mines.
"The whole industry win have to be reorganized
into a few great groups, with stabilized costs
brought about through the coming system and the
treatment Of all the coal in each group as if it were
from one mine. Useless labor will have to be eljmi.
mated and permanent employment secured for the
labor that is retained.
"An this is the ultimate destiny of the nations
coal industry, no matter what the immediate strike
situation brings. The great national coal problem
viii have to be worked out sooner or later on these
lines of putting the fat mine and the lean mine
together. And because it cannot be worked out
on such lines except under government sanction
and control there viii need to be suitable law
changing, both statute and fundamental. When
the government does take over the coal mines as an
emergency measure .undoubtedly it will begin rioht
then and there, the law changing TO permit the CDR.
rection of the basic difficulties in coal nroduct;on
under existing conditions.
Gin respect of this matter. therefore. nrobablv n
would be better for the industry in the long rim and
better for the country in the larger sense IN The
operators and the strike leaders could not reach a
temporary settlement of their differences 40 ibo
government then would be forced into poing NJ ono,
to the bigger and better work-to the sound solu.
ton without which there ALWAYS will he strife
among the coal operators and coal workers and
without which the public cannot get its due from
the coal business either as to price or q $ tn serv;ce
But as the first purpose of President Harding
is to get coal for the public and as neither the on
orators nor the workers are yet ready for the ulti.
mate solution of the problem. there is n very oood
spond to Mr.. Harding's ACCOMPLISHMENT with somc
sort of settlement of the strike.