The New York herald., 1922-07-26
LEWIS SAYS HARDING
COAL POLICY FAILS
Vain Military Display Has
Not Driven Men Back
to Work.
SILENT ON PRIORITY
Union Chief Wont Comment
on Governments Latest
Move in Strike.
BINS HERE GETTING Low
HOuSehOlders' Orders Untitled
Ship Charter Rates
Are Rising.
BINS HERE GETTING Low

Are Rising.
John l.. Lewis, president of the
| United Mine Workers of America and
leader of the field forces in the coal
strike. declined last night to make any
comment on the declaration by the
Interstate Commerce Commission that
an emergency exists in the coal situa-
ton, or on the restoration of wartime
priority for coal shipments.
After reading an outline of the
commissions order and the classifica-
tton of priorities Mr.. Lewis said:
Il must defer any comment on the
Governments action at this time"
Mr.. Lewis was to leave for Phila-
delphia early to-day. where he ex-
pected to meet the presidents Of the
Pennsylvania anthracite districts. He
declined also to comment last night
on the importation Of British coal as
means of meeting the crisis. although
he is known to regard it more as a
gesture than anything else and one
that can have little bearing on the
situation owing to the comparatively
small tonnage that could be imported.
Mr.. Lewis issued the following state
ment on the coal situation which was
prepared before he learned Of the In
terstate Commerce Commission's
action:
Says Nc Miners Returned.
Ten days have elapsed since the
President directed the coal operators of
the country. whose mines are on strike,
TO return to their homes and resume the
production of coal, following which he
telegraphed the Governors OF the several
commemorative urging them TO accord
military protection to all coal companies
employing strike breakers. Despite the
PRONUNCIATION of this policy by the Fed
eral Government and its punctilious ap-
plication by several Governors, there
| has been no increase in coal production.
Not a single union miner has returned
| to work throughout the length. and
breadth of the land, and Z must now be
obvious to all that the American miner
will not be driven back to work at
starvation wages and under non-urion
conditions by any fanfare Of trumpets
or vain military display
bargaining at Stake.
The lamentable breakdown of the
Federal policy naturally lessons the de-
| sire Of the public for further exper-
iments of this sort. THE public is pri-
marily concerned with its future coal
supply and the summer is on the wane.
Time is an important factor The loss
of an additional ten days to further de-
velop fantastic schemes in the field of
industrial experimentation can hardly be
afforded. The mine workers are resolved
not to be driven back to the mines by
any threat of force and neither do they
intend to return until the coal oper-
ators of the country are required to
meet them In joint conference in order
that q new wage scale may be negoti-
| ated. The principles of collective bar
gaining are at stake and the right to
employment at a living wage is an is
sue which must be considered. The coal
strike, now In it's seventeenth week, in
volving more than 100000 men and af-
fecting the welfare of our nation, is In
y
reflects no credit upon our antiquated
Industrial relations or American states
manship. Such a condition, by every
rule of reason and logic, Is indefensibly
| wrong and Is an outrage to every moral
and economic principle.
THE miners are anxious to settle this
strike and resume the production of
coal. We are ready to meet In joint con-
ference with the coal operators at tho
Il.
can be arranged In harmony with the
contractual obligations of the coal com
panies and in line with the procedure
which has prevailed in the industry for
more than q quarter of n century The
adjustment of a national strike in this
national industry cannot be accomplished
through the instrumentality of State or
district settlements. No district confer
ences or agreements will be sanctioned
by the mine workers organization. The
mine workers representatives will hold
themselves in readiness to respond 10
any logical and practical attempt To
effectuate an adjustment"
Reports were current In shipping cir
cles yesterday that bunker coal from
American mines had jumped to $40 and
$11 delivered at the water side here.
Charterfng of ships to transport the
British coal here went on yesterday
among the private concerns, but no
chartering was done by the Shipping
Board. which Is checking UP on the
forty-three ships taken under charter
last week.
Charter Rates Rise to 12 shilIings
Charter rates stfll rise and are quoted
now at as high as IL shillings per ton for
American bottoms British rates are
inclined to go still higher. The point
troubling the shipping men at present
is not the lack of any business in char
ters for westbound trade, but the fact
that when the coal cargoes are dis
charged here there Is little prospect of
obtaining return shipments Grain prices
are expected to take drop in conse-
quence OF the large number of ships
which will be available for transporta-
ton of the large shipments abroad.
Inquiry yesterday revealed that the
city's reserve supply of anthracite coal
for domestic heating is virtually ex-
hausted. Dealers said that coal mer-
chants had been steadily drawing
against the reserve accumulated before
April 1, when the strike started. until
now IL is practically a negligible factor.
One comforting feature OF the situa-
tion is that many apartment house
owners have laid In their winter supply,
and II Is probable that those who are
caught short on October is, the date
fixed 10 maintain required heat stand
| - ri h,sr