Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-12-22
ROAD OWNED COAL
MINES ARE CAUSE OF
ANTHRACITE SHORTAGE

.4z.=4sstional Labor News SefTice1
zz5rspn. d. {. Dec. 2l--Anthra-
zzssI miners are idle, the coal
- continues. and the public Is
- exorbitant prices Tor eoai De
- ne anthracite coal mines are
- ar controlled by the raliroaas
- n : to their interest TO delay
.ts movement Of coal by every means
Ps7ra5. ~ conditions are minimized By
- ss5fy press and there Is eNtraor-
H.. reticenee in official circles IN
Hze5z=inr the situation.
n 4s.rien around Scranton, Penn
mia Is tied up with a lockout b.
z.sfIseaas against the shop crafts.
~ vard outside Scranton there
~ - 6r Ii railroad tracks abreast
4la.z=saaIase and box cars filled with
Ii anthracite. In this particular
Lsi5 nile of coal there Is not only
IA .sa team size too small for do
- 4se. which Conrad +. Spens,
~ Administrator, has declared vas
asSsIx represented in the tie.up, but
sgerp domestic coal size, from pea.
stove. and egg to run Oh NINE.
Tbis is the situation throughout the
.sgias around Scranton. The war OF
ssrfaia coal-owning railroads on the
- r,atts keeps locomotives out OF
.an5ifjfn 10 pull trains. Amazingly
ssouga this situation undoubtedly
.losses the railroads because ii keeps
ps tga price of ceal, and so the rail-
raeds nave one definite incentive for
TO lSs.s sattIinV the shop crafts strike IN
since 1872 railroads ended the strike
sanae months ago and took the mei
mex. the public has taken 1t Tor
Granted that peace was on its way
sn5 has forgotten all about the strike.
Buf the Scranton region Is still in
the midst of a strike which Is serious
IL affecting the people of the country.
There have been few desertions.
strikebreakers are entrenched IN
garrisons. expensive bonuses are paid
to retain gunner from New YORK
East Side, and both sides are settling
down to a winters watchful waiting
policy. The mild autumn has fought
ee the railroads side. Approaching
winter makes the condition very
grave. The unionists have placed their
ease in President Harding's hands.
The original matters of dispute have
been forgotten. Yet the railroads
continue their lockout and they bene-
fit from continued high prices for
coal
An official of the Interstate Com
merce Commission in Washington has
pointed out that with a 120 per cent
demand for transport, only 10 per
cent of the normal locomotive power
is being supplied.
The strike in Scranton against the
anthracite railroad lines is effective
because Scranton is essentially a Ia
Dor city The paper with the largest
circulation gives labor views, the
mayor owes hi selection to labor sup
port, policemen and officials of neign-
boring boroughs sympathize with the
workers. In West Pittson pickets of
the strikers have been sworn in, and
wear official badges of authority. The
railroad lines are fighting an entire
community with strikebreakefs and
gunner.
Under this condition the locomo-
hyes are detenorating rapidly and
the inefficient repair work of New
York buns and gunmen will not stand
up under severe winter. The heavy
railroad grades necessitate three loco
motives to each train Of coal cars.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion refuses to divulge to the public
any of its information regarding the
anthracite delay. The editor of the
Railway Age has written publicly
that the present car shortage, the
most serious in American history, will
be worse in the spring.
1t Is no secret that the anthracite