The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-20
OUTPUT OF MINES
 BEING REDUCED BY
 LACK 0F COAL CARS
With Two Exceptions, Cover nors Pledge Aid to Harding in Efforts to Open Coal
 Mines
By Associated Press

washington, Jury 1S.--W nile gov ernment interest in the industrial situation continues to be centered to- day chiefly in the. coal strike and particularly in the reaction from President Harding's invitation to governors of coal producing states that they cooperate with him in the effort to reopen the mines, evidence was not lacking that the coal and i railroad strikes were correlated at least in effect. ...--.... Unofficial reports received here
 brought further details of reduction 1 in coal output because of inadequate | car supply, with the result. 1t was
 said that production was tending to
 be more than ever confined to non-
 union fields. Effect of reduced
 movement of coal cars was said to
 be particularly marked in West vir-
 gInia districts.
 With but two exceptions, the gov
 ernors who replied to President Harding's telegram today pledged
 their co-operation and support to the federal administration without quail
 fication. Governor Morrison of North
 Carolina replied in a decided nega- tive, asserting that SO far as he knew | there were no strike troubles in the | mining industry of that state and 1t l would be a vain thing" for him to invite coal miners to return to
 work"
 q would not do SO any way" Gov
 erpor Morrison was quoted as saytng.
 Little Coal Produced Governor Trinkle of Virginia, In
 his reply, called attention o tho
 small amount of coal produced in | that state. Johns l.. Lewis. president of the l United Mine Workers of America, maintained his cheerful attitude toward the situation declaring that ] after Is weeks of strike, the ranks | of the men who had quit work was
 being constantly augmented. | A plea to union labor to support
 the men on strike. in both she rail-
 road and mining industries was sent | out by Samuel Gompers. president of | the American Federation of Labor, | who, however. emphasized the ne-
 cessity of confining such support to l peaceful, law biding methods" 1 Mir. Gompers was In conference today | with Chairman Borah of the Senate l labor committee and Senators Walsh | of Massachusetts, and King of Utah. | No conclusions were reached, It waa l said, but Mr. Borah expressed him ! self later as more optimistic of 6
 settlement in both controversies
 than he had been prior to the meet | ing.
 Would Use Regular Army
 No additional reports on the coal
 strike situation have reached the war | department, nor have any other
 steps been found necessary to pre-
 pare the army for any part 1t may 1 be called upon to play in l acking up the administrations policy. II
 was made plain at the department, 1 however. in the event 1t became ne. 1 cessary to employ federal forces to | support the national guard of any 1 state in protecting mine workers from interference, the regular army would first be used, and the national guard of states other than that in
 which any particular disturbance oc- cured. would be called upon by the federal authorities only If the avail- able regular forces were insuffi- cient
 In reply to the suggestion that union employees of the coal mines who have remained on duty to oper- ate pumps and prevent flooding of the property might be withdrawn in view of the governments attitude. 1t was made clear at the war depart ment that the business of keeping the purnpn at work was looked upon as primarily the duty of the mine operators The governments atti- tude. 1t was indicated. would be that the operators must find men willing to keep the pumps going.
 In Wyoming and Michigan move ments were reported under way to bring about local settlement in the coal strike.5 but the national leader ship of the miners union took occa- sion to renew assertions that local settlements would not be allowed until a national agreement had be- come effective.
 will Stay at Work
 President Lewis of the miners union. said that the maintenance men in the mines who keep the pumps working and the mine galler- ies clear from falling strata while the production is stopped, would stay at work everywhere. until strike breakers were brought In.
 Then they will 20 out" he re- parked. because our men will not work with strike breakers"
 There were some tentative nego- tiations still under way between op- orators who are willing to sign contract and the union on an inter- sto hos sto nd un nrL ing conditions. and Mir. Lewis and the other national officials. Michael Gallagher, president of the Pittsburg Vein Operators association in Ohio and associates who control an out put of 2o,0o0,00c tons of bituminous per annum, have been chiefly active in the attempt.
 MAIL SERVICE STOPPED