The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-08-24
Bic LOSSES
IN FUTURE
LOOMING
FACTOR
Specific Reasons Cited Why
Operators and Miners
Fear Tie-up.
By KENNETH CLARK.
international News Service.


Definite reasons why the Admin
istration adheres to the belief there
will be no strike in the anthracite
fields next month were given by.
John Hays Hammond, chairman of
the United States coal commission,
in q conference with newspaper
men today.
Hammond said that. to strike
would be virtual suicide to both OPP
orators and miners, because they
would suffer heavily in loss Of fu-
ture markets.
Specific Reasons Given.
Specific reasons why the Admins
tration does not believe operators
tie-up were enumerated as follows:
/. There is no question Of the sin
cerity OF the operators to come to
some arrangement with miners.
2. A shut down of the mines would
involve a great expense in keeping
the mines from being flooded.
3. The operators are confronted
with the fact that they are liable
to lose their market in the future
after the public has experienced and
found substitutes available for hard
coal.
4. Regardless of the public well
fare, the operators therefore will
make every endeavor to come to
terms with the workers.
Miners Situation.
1. If a strike is called the miners
are sure to be heavy losers.
2. Should mines be shut down for
two or three months and arrange
ments then made to reopen them,
miners will find that the fuel needs
Of the public have been provided
for amply.
8. Such a situation means that
when the miners do come back to
work they will be able to labor only
part time as the market for anthra-
cite will be cut down materially.
Face Future Loss.
1.-THE representatives Of the oper-
ators and miners cannot well afford
to face this situation" Hammond
said. They know that they will
lose in the future If a strike is
called"
At the same time, Hammond
reiterated that the Administration
has no thought of intervening to
break the Atlantic City deadlock
and warned that there is nothing
icky feeling on the part of the
10 Ian mil
most in the event of strike are
the operators and miners them
selves, Hammond said.
Responsibility Is Feared.
There will be a great deal of
hesitation on either side to assume
the responsibility for shut
down." he continued. ''Self-inter
est should bring the two groups
together again for a settlement
of wage differences"
Declaring that a sympathetic strike
in the bituminous fields would be in
contravention Of existing contracts,
Hammond expressed the belief that
such action might be conspiracy in
restraint of trade and might be the
subject for drastic Federal action
under the Sherman antitrust laws.
He did not believe that bituminous
workers would break their contract.
Commission Issues Statement.
The United States Coal Commits
sion today issued the following
formal statement relative to the
Governments preparedness in the
event OF a strike:
"In connection with the Govern.
ment's preparedness measures,
which have the direct purpose to
make up with bituminous coal any
possible anthracite shortage, the
Coal Commission makes public its
ANALYSIS of official statistics regard
ing the anthracite supply.
'In the first place, the anthracite
mines to date have maintained so
high a rate of shipment that by
September over $1,000, 900 net tons
of domestic sizes of anthracite will
be in the possession OF the con-