The New York herald., 1922-07-26
would Not Force work.

In the coal fields the Government is
not seeking to make any man work
against his will. The Administration
has sought thus far to create condi-
tion where each man who wants to
work may work in safety.
If Ii is demonstrated that there are
no men willing to work, no men VINO
want to mine coal under such guaran-
lies, then some other method of deal
ing with the situation must be taken up.
1t may be several weeks before the
President undertakes to appoint a coal
commission to go into the fundamentals
of the coal industry. The commission
will likely represent only the public.
The President feels that the coal indus
try is embarrassed by many fundamen-
tai economic ills which must be cor
rected
There are mines in America which
can be operated at one price with very
fair profit to the capital employed and
pay the wages which the miners have
been able to negotiate in their collective
bargaining. There are other mines with
large supplies of coal that are. more dif-
1icult of operation, with thinner veins.
more remote from the centers OF large
consumption, which cannot be operated
under the same conditions. Heretofore.
mining costs have been adjusted very
largely upon conditions which main
tanned in the least economical mine.
That is not regarded as fair to Amer
lean spirit and to the public.
On the other han l, there are from
two to three hundred thousand more
miners than the industry requires.
very considerable number of these min
ers are very agreeable 10 that situation.
They prefer an economic situation in
which men may work only three days
and earn sufficiency to make liveli-
hood.
View of American Ideals.
The President regards as contrary to
the whole scheme OF life that any group
of citizenship can work half the time
and maintain state of living that is
comparable with american ideals. The
whole scheme of life, he believes, con-
templates that every able man work and
that a great industry cannot operate on
the theory that thousands should work
only half the time. All of these factors
must be given study and attention in
any solution found which will reach the
fundamental problems involved.
One of the solutions offered as a re-
suit of the conflict between the two op-
posing forces is control of the situation
On some suitable form of storage which
will permit continuity of production and
have the surplus supplies available for
times of great need. The President sug-
gested this to both the miners and the
operators, but it was not agreed to.
The President suggested settlement
of the controversy on the basis of min
imum wage which carried with it a
guaranty of a fixed period of employ
ment. In other words, minimum wage
should be fixed comparable with the
cost of living-the American standard
of living This was founded on the
theory of having $50 days of employ
ment as a reasonable working year. 1t
would afford man a little more than
thirty days of recreation throughout the
year besides his Sundays and would be
what was looked upon as rational
working period. Under the plan if the
employer should furnish "a man less
working days than appointed he should
pay an additional sum per day for every
day on which he enforces idleness.
The unions made the objection that
It was so complicated that 1t would re-
quire so much bookkeeping that it was
not practical. A number of the oper-
ators thought 1t could be worked ad-
Nantageously. The mine could base its
price upon the minimum wage and carry
on. whereas a mine which could not
work on the basis Of the minimum wage
would ultimately be put out of business.
The President does not think there Is
n possibility of recruiting men from out
side the anthracite fields for operating
the anthracite mines. That is one of
the difficulties of the coal situation.
There is law in Pennsylvania requir-
ing certification of miners before they
can go to work. The same Is true of
the bituminous fields in Illinois and
Indiana.
Reports to the President indicate that
mine workers in some of the States are
perfectly content and had no desire to
strike and the operators had no troubles
~Cr grievances. They wanted to continue
operations. but the miners were called
out under the national call and under
the union they were not permitted to
20 on.