The Connecticut labor news., 1922-11-03
WEST VIRGINIANS DEMAND PROBE OF "UNDER- CUTTING NON-UNION
 FIELD BY NEW COAL COMMISSION
By International Laber News Service.

By International Laber News Service. 1, Washington, D. C., Nov. 3.-Inves- tlgation of the non-union fields as well as the union fields by the United States Coal Commission Is asked in a President Harding and the members of the commission by the Constitu- tional Society of West Virginia The letter says that 1t will not be possible to bring about reforms, or stabiliza- tlon, or prevent frequent periodic strikes, unless the non-union fields are made to respect the agreements enter ed into by the miners union and the un1onized operators.
 The non-union fields have under cut the agreements between the union and the union operators in the past so that 1t Is impossible now to carry out these agreements unless all operators are made to recognize them, and put an end to unfair com petition that brings on strikes and turmoil in the coal industry, says the letter The President and the commis- sion are not asked to attempt to unionize the non-union fields, but to include them in the investigation, and fix a common base for both union and non-union fields.
 The letter in part fol1ows:.
 The inquiry into this industry will be inadequate, futile and without avail if 1t does not go into conditions in the non-union fields as well as in the union fields, and if the commis- sion in its findings does not establish a common base to which the non union side as well as the union side shall be bound In other words, the recommendations of the commission shall include, and !. be applicable to non-union fields as well as to union fields
 "The biennial agreement entered into by the union operators and the miners union has the practical effect of putting about one-half of the bitu-, n1inous industry on a fixed and stabil- ized base. A definite, agreement for a definite period of time Is entered into between operator and miner.
 Agreements of this kind do not exist in the non-union fields. Wages, and working conditions are variable, >and they may be adjusted at any time as suits the immediate advantage and needs of the non-union opera tors As a<result of this negotiable condition a new agreement between the union operator and the union miner IS no sooner entered into than the non-union operator begins to re adjust his wage and working condi- tions so as to give him an advantage over that greement-enable him to reduce his production costs below those fixed upon the union operator by his new agreement, and sell his coal for less money but at more profit than the union operator can sell his product
 The non-union operators maintain that they have saved the country during periods of strike in the union fields They have not done anything of the kind. With their variable wage scales and changing working conditions, and their tendency to deal with their employees as suits their immediate advahtage, they have brought on these strikes and they have harvested the profits that went with them
 AThe non-union fields have dis rupted the stability of the union fields to a degree that has upset the work ing time. and aggregate earning ca pacity of the union miners The non- union operators are the greatest op- pTessors of the union miners known to the coal industry.
 "It IS thus to be seen that the fore most and most pressing phase Of the coal problem is the divided condition within the industry-the non union operator undermining and destroy ing the stability of any wage agree