The Bismarck tribune., 1922-04-01
THREE SIDES OF THE COAL STRIKE
1t Is Necessary Step In Ad-
justment- Operators
by J. d. A. MORROW

Vice President, National Coal AssO'
citation
The coal strike called for today
is simply step in great and neces-
sary process of readjustment in the
bituminous coal industry.
That readjust1nent can only come il
the situation is left alone to the ma
tural play of economic influences In.
tervention by the government alone
can hinder it.
Three main facts are involved:
First: The rate Of pay and the
hours of labor
Second The manner in which
wage scale agreements shall be made
Third The Check-off.
Must Reduce Scale
On those issues the strike has been
called. The miners are demanding a
six-hour day and a five day week
which would give employment arbi.
trarily to an excessive number OF
miners, and the maintenance Of a
postwar wage scale fixed on basic
rate of $3.50 day, as opposed to the
eight-hour day and six-day week
with supply and demand fixing the
number of employees.
: Operators insist that the present
scale must be materially reduced and
the present hours of work maintained
to put organized mines on parity
with the wage levels prevalling ~ rne
non-union fields and in other indus.
tries.
The six-hour day and five-day week
is demanded to enable the men in the
industry to work more nearly full.
time.
The fact is there are more men en-
ployed in the industry than are need.
ed, just as there are more mines than
are needed. The operators would lei
supply and demand for coal auto.
matically reduce excess employees.
H. All Willing to Meet
While number Of operators have
decided to go into four-state joint
conference, all have been willing tc
meet the mines in state conferences
Generally, operators in Illinois anG
Indiana have been willing to partici-
pate in fOurstate agreement, while
those of western Pennsylvania and
southern Ohio have refused. Why?
When the central competitive fielC
arrangement was firat essabt btished,
there was active competition between
western Pennsylvania and southern
Ohio operators on one hand anC
Illinois and Indiana on the other
Conditions Changed
Changing freight differentials, how.
ever, have steadily decreased that com
petition. Ohio coal, formerly a pop.
tllar fuel in Chicago, is no longer
quoted on the Chicago market. Pitts
burg coal has vanished from the lower
peninsula Of Michigan.
There is no longer any economic
reason for the continuation Of the
old four-state arrangement. AS re.
suit, operators wish to deal with the
miners of their own particular dis
tricts, whether union or non-union
and work out wage scales which will
accord with the competitive conditions
in those respective fields. a.
AS to the checkoff under which
operators are required to collect thu
dues, assessments. and fines of the
men and hand them over to the union
officials, that was one of the prac.
tices cited in. the indictment under
the Sherman law at Indianapolis al
evidence Of conspiracy between miners
and operators. Naturally, the opera
tors are reluctant to renew an agree
ment so full of possible danger.
No Danger for Public
Out of the strike must come re-
adjustment to meet postwar condi
tions Of competition and prices. A
present it seems safe to say that {
60-day strike would entail no par
ticular hardship on business and in
dustry generally and would NOT ex
haust stocks to the point where al
increase in prices, would occur. Thu
consumer, therefore, may look will
a fair degree of equanimity upon thu
approach of this struggle.
Our industrial fabric has been erect
ed upon a foundation of low cost o
coal. This strike is simply one Of tn.
inevitable steps that must come if oul
Industrial activity is to be restored tc
a sound and enduring activity. In this
The householder-the small consume
lis vitality concerned. 1t means TO-
him lowering of prices not alone fol