The New York herald., 1922-04-30

| fend their system of espionage and pr }
lection as vital to their industry Taey
say past experience and observation OF
what goes on In union fields proves tnat
the unionization OF mines is ruinous and
that If the alternatives are acceptance
of the union or going out of business
they will go out of business. They con-
tend that their ncn-union miners, year
In and year out. nave been better off
than union miners, of other fields and
that their men are themselves entitled
to protection against those who would
mislead them. A canny organizer IN
another part of the State said to the
writer:
Il don't blame the operators for
guarding the mines the way they do.
If were an operator I'd do the same
as they do-that is, If l looked at things
the way they do"
Despite all this desperate resistance
the non-union mines of Westmoreland
have succumbed to the strike fever to
an extent unexpected either by the OPP
orators or the United Mine Workers
at the beginning. The union organizers
say that so per cent. of the 10000
miners in the county are out. They
prophesy 100 per cent. The operators,
on the other hand, are positive that not
more than 20 per cent. are out. They
concede that the number may be in
creased in the coming week. but con-
tend that thereafter the flow will be
toward the mines instead of away from
them.
Westmoreland coal is largely "gas
coal" having a high volatile content
and being shipped East for the manu-
facture of gas or converted into by
products and coke. A large part of the
coal used by the Pennsylvania Railroad
locomotives also comes from Westmore-
land.
The union says the westmoreland
Coal and Coke Company, with mines
scattered over the country. IS against the
ropes, with 700 men out at Export, 900
at Claridge and 400 at Yukon. The
operators say that 400 men are still
working at Export and the others are
producing satisfactorily.
Another large company, the keystone.
has 5000 miners. or these 100 are
out at the Keystone shaft, 100 at the
Hempfeld shaft and 100 at Crows Nest.
or a total of 800.
The union reports Mammoth shaft OF
the H. c. Frick Coke Company closed,
with between 800 and 400 men on strike.
1t also reports the Calumet mine as
closed. but about half the force was
working on Saturday. The union also
says it has closed two mines of the
belmont Gas Coal Company at belmont.
the operation of the Pittsburgh Coal
Company at White Valley. the Han
town mine. the Clair Coal and Coke
Company, the Skelly Coal Company at
Export and many others. The operators
insist that all of these are producing TO
some extent.
A new argument against prohibition
was heard by this correspondent to-day.
It was an operator who said:
THE center of union propaganda used
to be the saloon. There a stranger
would hang around the bar and get into
conversation with miners who came In.
Or maybe 1t was one or our own men
who had been planted by the union. AS
the drinks were set down everybody got
talkative, including the union scout.
Voices were raised, and usually In those
saloons there was some friendly fellow
who kept his ears open. and reported
what he heard. The bartender was Of
ten friend of the company, too. We
were able to check up on what was
going on by the talk in the saloons.
But now the saloons are c!osed-tney
are in the mining towns. anyway-a1d
you can't tell where to find the plotters. !"
Miners s'Hopelessly Sober"
Observation proves that most of the
saloons are indeed, closed in the Penn
sylvania coal district. A few are open
(and selling per cent. beer, at that).
Miners. however, share with the rest of
the world the technique Of the home
brew and the home distillery, and the
Alleghanies are far from arid.
However. the writer has seen good
many unionized miners in mass meeting
assembled and all but a handful were
''hopelessly sober" II the strike reaches
the stage Of real violence, alcohol can
not be blamed nearly as much as 1t has
been for the strife of other years
Some Of the operators are already ac-
cusing union sympathizers of serious
crimes and are charging the union with
setting a ''wrecking crew. to work as
soon as the stage of moral suasion Is
passed. Affidavits are pelng collected
and sent to a lawyer in Pittsburgh.
One OF the affiants William Maloy, em-
ployed at the Pleasant Valley mine OF
the Pittsburgh Coal Company swears
that six union men called him scab
and a blackleg and that one fired a
shot which entered the side of build
ing: :.
will be protected from the drastic ac-
tions of members of the United Mine
Workers Union, as / wish to continue
my work at the mines," says the af-
fidavit of Maloy. !,
Tom Kelly an electrician for the Gar
field Smokeless Coal Company at Rob-
inson. says in an affidavit dated April
16 that four sticks of powder were ex-
ploded on his porch at 2 10 o'clock in
the morning when the family were in
bed without hurting anybody. He also
swears that union men plotted to cut
H. k-tx - fxz1 g. Ht,x- Nn
company's stable and cut loose Perm
sylvania Railroad car and send 1t onto
the main line of the Conemaugh division
of the Pennsylvania Railroad, but that
this program was spoiled by the ar
rest of three plotters.
A mine watchman was shot az Export