New-York tribune., 1922-04-07
Miners Predict
Coal Famine
In Six Week
Say rs, 200 Non.Union Men
Have Joined the Strike
and Pittsburgh's Mills
Are Facing Shutdown
Finish Fight Forecast
Anthracite Workers to End
Their Case Here To-day
With Check-Off Demand

luel famine throughout the ITni.od
States within siv weeks was r,oa;.to5
yesterday by leaders Of the str;k;nc
coal miners.
concurrent with this forecast of of-
Iects of the strike, they also declarod
1Eat M they had received reports +hoI
'",ooo non-urlon miners in the Fay-
eve County. Pa, coke fields hao
!o.neo the strike, closing down the
y-hVe MINES near Connellsville
a,'u S onontown completely These
helds represent one of the most inv
Eortant sources of fuel spnnI,' tin. fnr
Fennsylvania steel plants.
Many of the steel plants in tho
rlttsbureh district. employing 200 900
men including those of the United
o'a'es Steel Corporation, have onlv
sttveh'y.two hours fuel supply on hand
the union chiefs said other renorts
revealed. Should such s;tnption pt; w
commune, they asserted. thousands If
S'ecI workers would be thrown ont Of
"o'k within the next three days.
Claims $1,000 Non-Union Men
~, These reports were given out bv
IIhlilp Murray, vice president Of the
United Nine WORKERS. 1t was csti-
mated by John l.. Lewis, president nf
tne un'on, that between 10000 and Ak
ooo non-union miners have ioined tbe
ranks of the strikers. Mr.. Murray said
that at least so per cent of the nom
union production, which he estimated
at o8:o0O,O0 tons year, has boon
cut on Neither the public nor the
&othorities appear to havo an ADEQUATE
conception OF the seriousness of the
s,tuatlon' s Mr.. Murray added. CON
sieSs' ne SAID, must be blind not to
seG "hat 'he country is up against"
f. ale eeciared further that messages
from field ieutenants showed an ex.
pectatlon that practically all the mines
OF west virginia, the most important
non union field in the country. would
oe forced to SMUT down within the next
Ie" Gays by strikes of non-union min
ers. Practically all the Winding Gulf
section of the state is closed down,
he said Asked whether the strikes
would include Mingo and Logan coun-
ties, he replied:
Union organizers have been getting
in'o Logan from Mingo County for
some time
The anticipation of West VIRGINIA
shutdown also carries with it the be-
lief that the non-union Hazard fields
OF OF eastern Kentucky, the Somerset and
"estmoreland fields of Pennsylvania
and those of Tennessee will be forced
to stop operations within the next few
days, according to Mr.. Murray.
"Closure of all these fields would
cut down non-union production another
rs per cent or more" said Mr. Murray,
making the total cut from rs to so
per cent, and leaving only Alabama and
the Colorado mines of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company producing coal.
In Alabama at least 5000 miners are
out.
Predicts Famine in Six Weeks
SHOULD all expectations result as
the reports in my possession declare
they will, there will be sure to be
fuel famine throughout the country
within the next six weeks.
"As | interpret the last report of the
United States Geological Survey, there
is supply of bituminous coal of not
quite five weeks on hand and available
to the public. The survey report was
that there were 63,O0O,O00 tons above
ground April /, but my impression is
that at least 2o,o0OOo0 tons of that is
stored in the cellars Of consumers and