The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-01-30
PREDICTS CHAOS
IN COAL UNTIL
/ j. 5. ACTS
Miners Union Chief Declares
Both Men and Public Are
Being Exploited. 7
By PHILLIP MURRAY, \
Vice President Of the United Mime
Workers of America.



(Copyright, 1898, by Cosmopolitan
News Service.) ~
NEW YORK, Jan. SO.-The coal
consuming public Of the United States
will never obtain coal at a continu-
ously fair price nor the miners who
are engaged in the production of
that coal reasonably constant work
and a living wage until the present
unjust and inadequate system of pro-
duction and distribution is changed
and brought under Government con-
troll or that of some other equally
authoritative body. \
Under the existing system the pub
lie and the miners both are being ex-
plotted. While about 85,000,000 tons
OF coal are being mined annually In
this country by 900 miners, the
public is being exploited in prices
by the operators and the retailers,
and only some zoo, 900 miners receive
constant employment.
One of the chief evils of the pres
ent system, as it affects miners who
do not receive constant employment,
is due to the method Of car assign
ments. The big coal operators own
their own cars. They do not have to
wait for the railroad companies to
assign them cars to take the coal
away from the mines and so can get
their coal to market without delay.
Delayed by Railroads.
The smaller andindependent COM
panies, not owning their own cars,
have to rely on the railroad compa-
mics for cars to be assigned them.
The railroads favor the. companies
who have their own cars in the mat
er<of hauling.
The independent companies are
obliged to await the pleasure of the
railroads, who purposely delay send
ing them cars, with the result that
the smaller concerns are obliged to
shut down their mines for certain
period each year, as all the coal
mined cannot be sent away from the
mouth of the mine.
This throws just so many miners
out of work. These men, in the ma
jority of cases, own their own homes,
such as they are, in the direct neigh
borhood of the mines, and, having
no means Of support other than the
0cant wages they earn, are unable to
move elsewhere, and, being miners,
know no other form OF employment.
Meanwhile the large companies are
constantly acquiring new coal beds,
shutting down some Of those they
have been operating and the supply
Of which is lessening, and, possessing
their own cars, are in a position TO
ship the new coal to market without
delay.
The smaller companies, with less
operating capital at their command.
are unable to take advantage of OBJ
tanning new fields to work and again
are compelled TO work their mines
only part time and with consequent
smaller need for workmen.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion could relieve this condition to a
great extent by requiring the rail-
road companies to change their sys-
tenn Of assigning coal cars to the
smaller companies, compelling them
to do this. Meanwhile the situation
goes from bad to worse.
Hardship in Closing Mines.
A high Government official not
long ago suggested that some. of the
companies abandon their mines.
This would not only leave the miners
without work entirely, but the men
would be left with the only homes
they possess on their hands and no
way of disposing Of them.
It has been said that Government
OF SIdI0 ala might r0lleVo the SlIua-
ton by appropriating money with
which to buy the miners homes, but
there Is legal obstacle to this. The
States could not be compelled to
carry out such a plan, which poIiti-
cal influence Of the big coal compa-
MES would purposely oppose.
The solution of the problem isa
difficult one.
AS to the regulation Of the price
Of coal to consumers throughout the
country, the matter is also a hard
one to settle satisfactorily, but by
no means impossible. 1t was work
ed out in a satisfactory way during
the world war, when coal production
and prices to consumers were regu-
lated by the Government through
DR.. Harry A. Garfield, acting as fuel
administrator. If the Government
cannot solve the present condition, 1
don't know who can.
Meanwhile. the price of coal to- the
public is being skyrocketed through
out the country because of lack Of
proper control.