Omaha daily bee., 1922-03-31
/ j. J. DAVIS.
Secretary of Labor Says There
l. No Prospect of Coal
Shortage Due to Mine
| Strike.
| IOperators Are Criticized

Washington. March 50,-Wmlc
stating that a general strike in un-
iouized coal mines is certain TO be-
Gin Saturday. Secretary OF Labor ]. ].
Davis declared in a statement to-
night that the situation leaves mo
excuse for advance in coal prices
aud 10 prospect of coal shortage
Tor the public.
Reviewing the governments effort
during the last two months 10 reach
settlement. Mr.. Davis expressed
keen disappointment at the failure
OF certain operators TO fulfill the
terms OF their obligation" TO confer
with miners for the making OF new
wage agreements which might have
prevented suspension OF work.
"All the governments efforts in
the proiier OF mediation. coneilia-
ton aud compromise" he said,
have failed to save the country
from the national strike test OF
economic strength between en-
ployer and employc in the coal in
dustry. In this effort. the president
and myself have neither right nor
personal desire 10 dictate any pro-
gram. Our one desire has been 10
induce. by persuasion and urgence,
the operators and miners to dis
charge the obligation they assumed
themselves. TO confer again for the
shaping OF a new agreement
Miners Willing to Confer.
The miners, the secretary said. had
always been willing to confer
through their union representatives,
but the operators, although, for dif-
ferently assigned reasons in several
localities. have turned their backs
on chance to lay bare. not only to
the miners but to the public, at least,
their reasons for declining a new
wage agreement" "A conference
for the operators" he added, would
have removed any stigma OF bad
faith.
"There may be faults on both sides
Of this bituminous dispute" he de-
clared, "but the side that openly re.
pudiates its written and signed
obligations has crippled its case be-
fore the bar OF public opinion
The agreement repudiated, the
statement explained, was that con-
tanned III the wage contract between
operators and miners i'll the central
competitive field. including Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio and western Pennsyl-
vania, which has constituted the basic
wage contract for all other coal
fields in former years. The situation
as to anthracite mining, it was added,
forms pleasing contrast because
operators and miners are meeting di-
rectly together ,
Further complications III the coal
industry. Mr.. Davis continued, were
due to the existence of over produc-
ton, amounting to "fully 30 per cent
over development in the bituminous
fields" One result of this, it was
pointed out, was to leave available
in storage now stocks of coal esti-
mated at 100000 tons for anthra-
cite and 65,009,000 tons for btu
minous.
No Action Taken.
The wisdom of asking President
Harding to invite representatives OF
miners and operators to meet here
tomorrow in all eleventh hour effort to
cali off the strike was considered by
the house labor committee but with
out action being taken.
Believing there still was hope OF
preventing the shutdown i'll all
fields set for tomorrow at midnight,
two members of the committee pro-
posed that the president be requested
to take a hand and for time it ap-
peared as if resolution looking to
this end might be adopted. Word
had come from the senate, mean
while, that Chairman Borah of the
senate labor committee. had such a
proposition in mind and the house
committee went at once to suggest
joint action.
Chairman Borah explained, how
ever, that members OF the committee
had not been advised as to such a
vote, that he did not feel at liberty
to take up the question alone and it
probably would be best to let the
question go over. He intimated that