The Lakeland evening telegram., 1922-04-21
MINERS ENTER
FOURTH WEEK
81
OF COAL STRIKE
Efforts To rBing a More
Complete Tieup of In
dustry Will Be Con-.
tinued-Output of Coal
Depends On Non-union

Indianapolis Ind, April 21.-With
the third week of the nation-wide
suspension of work in the coal in
dustry ended today, officials of the
United Mine Workers OF America de-
clared that the peak of strength OF
the strikers had not yet been reach.
ed although the number of idle
miners had increased to 6S0,000, a.
gain of 10000 during the week.
Efforts to bring about more COM
pet" tie up of the industry will be
continued. but officials declined to
maize any further specific predictions
vet. asserting that they expected
further gains and added that no break
was threatened within the union
ranks. which now include many sup
uolters in the unOrganiZed fields.
Under the unions avowed program
calling for almost "A complete suspen-
sion of coal production. any new de-
yclopmcnts. forced by the union may
be expected to become stronger in
the PENNSYLVANIA btumnous regions
and also West Virginia. the strong
holds of the strike. these two states
having provided the center of activ-
"
ticuarly. the union has amassed its
organizers for the attack.
In a score of other states. scattered
across the country no important de-
velopmpnts have been reported since
operations were brought to a stand
still on April |. In the Pennsyl-
vania anthracite districts, similar
quiet has been maintained. In the
unioniZed bitumin0us fields. president
John l.. Lewis. the union leader, es-
iimated that 100000 miners have join
ID the suspension. while in the an
thracite Industry he said 10000 men
are affiliated.
He declared that union field agents
show that at least 10000 workers in
the union organized fields as parti-
cipants in the walkout.
in the opinion of coal men here,
the drive in the non-union fields Ii
Of much importance in the settlementN
of the strike. The unorganiZed mines
in central Pennsylvania are regard
ed as strat eetic factor in that output
of these mines may 80 far toward
breaking the suspension in the CEN
tral competitive field. comprising
and Illinois Likewise the coal men
here assert that the central Pennsyl-
vania output can similarly affect set
Element of miner-OperatOr disputes in
eastern coal fields.
No announcement of motive can be
made by the union officials for their
drive in central Pennsylvania. but the
forces of organizers there have been
strengthened since the start of the
Suspension OF work called by the un-
ion. In all. the central Pennsylvan-
ia region has $1,000 of its $4,000 non
union workers on stock. according to
reports to union headquarters here.
\ complete report from West Vir-
pinia show 10000 non-uni0n support-
crs of the suspension, Mr.. Lewis said,
adding that all union miners number-s
ing 1000 also are idle.
As long as the general suspension
of work obtains. the nations coal out
put hinges largely on the non-unions
mines which operators say have am
aggregate output of 5,500,000 tons
more than has been produced in
either the first two weeks of the
strike Meanwhile. any excess cont
sumption must come from the 63,000,->
00o ton pile that had been built up
before the strike started. and operas
tors here say little of this has yet
been used Union sources said they.
had no figures on consumption.