Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-04-24
SURVEY SHOWS
REAL SITUATION
IN COAL. STRIKE
More Men Out Than On April l
Struggle To Continue Till
Pinch Comes
BY c. c. LYON.

PITTSBURG, April 24-Slnce the
nationwide coal tie-up began April
/. | have visited all the storm cen
ters. The present status seems to be
this:
Coal operators and miners appear
to agree the strike will last several
months longer. High officials OF the
United Mine Workers say three
months Many operators say SIX
months.
Probably the biggest operator IN
Ohio. who has always operated union
mines, told me:
You'll find the big operators OF
the country will be in no hurry to
sign a new scale. In the long run
we feel it will be money in our
pockets to sit tight until October.
The country, with a fair surplus OF
coal now on hand and with the non
union fields still producing even
though a diminished supply, can
skimp along until fall. When the
real pinch comes the big operators
will then talk business with the
United Mine Workers. But mine
wages must come down"
On u. S. Intervention.
One of the best informed OF the
district presidents of the miners
union said:
Washington won't make any
real effort to force a settlement OF
the strike until the pressure starts
from railroads, steel mills, public
utilities and ma1ufacturers. IN
about two months from now the coal
piles of all these interests will be
about exhausted and then they'll
get scared. | look for the strike To
he over and the men back in the
mines within three months"
Everywhere have gone-in Penn
sylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, In
diana and Illinois, have found the
public apathetic With mild weather
already here and with summer
coming on, the average family isn't
worrying. Many of them haven't
vet carried out last winters ashes.
Steel Industry Pinched.
The steel industry is already feel
ing the pinch, because the supply
of coke has been cut down. Thou
sands of non-union miners and coke
workers in the Connellsville coke
region have joined the union and
quit their jobs.
In the steel districts today there
is on every hand general slowing
down as part of program to con-
serve both coal and coke.
The United Mine Workers are
stronger today than they were on
April |. when the strike began.
The strike is still 100 per cent
effective in all the union fields.
There are more coal miners on
strike today than on April i. The
additions have come from the non
union fields.
The Monongahela river has been
the dividing line between the union
and non-union fields in western
Pennsylvania. When the strike was
called, the United Mine Workers
sent their best organizers to Browns
Vile and from there the "drive" on
the non-union fields has been di-
rected.
Unions Strengthened
Rapidly, the idea of unionism has
spread from the river into the non
union fields until today most of the
mines and coke ovens in and about
Uniontown are idle.
Connellsville is still the stronghold
of the non-union coal and coal op-
orators. The territory near Connells-
vile is dominated by the Frick inter
ests, subsidiaries of the United
States Steel Corporation.
The union drive" is now directed
toward a penetration of the Con-
nellsville "basin.'
In West Virginia there are 49,
600 coal miners Of whom 10000
ire unionized.
The Winding Gulf district, south
east of Charleston, is the non-union
stronghold, but already the unions
have 1900 members out of total
of $4,000 men who were working in
the district when the strike began.