Evening star., 1923-08-28
WAYS TO END COAL
cSTR|KES DISCUSSED
-,
Legislative Action, Licensing
- Miners and Other Steps
- Among Possibilities.
BY j. G. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, August 2S.-Gov. Pin
chot's anthracite fact finding commits
Vision is functioning briskly today, but
Cne fact stands out without search
that is, that the anthracite miners are
fully prepared to drop their tools
promptly at midnight August 81. AS a
Consequence coal dealers and consum-
ers, large and small. devoted themselves
70 studying just what action will be
POSSIBLE for the Pennsylvania executive
10 take if miners and operators con-
T. tnue obdurate and decline to listen to
pleas and arguments that they get to-
'gether.
The majority of the coal men. ex-
pressed the belief that the power of
loercian he might exercise probably
acpuld not be brought to bear in time
10 prevent suspension of work, no
matter how effective they might be in
making such suspension short.
o.. "a, Might Summon Legislature.
The governor has the power to call a
Gpecial session of the state Legislature,
10 submit to it's members message
calling attention to the grave emer-
fency, and to recommend repeal Of GER
Tain laws which would prevent imme-
-diate action the passage of laws
Che governor already has called atten-
ton to the extent to which public
opinion has been aroused and his rec
concentrations undoubtedly would have
great weight with the legislators.
One law which might come i'll for
. attention is that providing that a
miner in the anthracite properties
14ust be licensed and must qualify
hy two years work in the anthracite
properties. These licenses are given
'tar- l,ir1ot ton hN mi iDa q r &
boards. and the law, as ii stands,
would prevent operation of the mines
b.. means of strikebreakers under
tIuard of state police and state troops
which the governor has power TO call
ON for such duty.
Question of Dues Vital.
Another legislative act which deal
\ ers consider d possibility would be a
law prohibiting the check-off of union
dues by the mining companies along
the same lines as certain laws pro-
Niding for abolition of company
stores. One prominent wholesale coal
dealer today recommended enactment
of Il law providing that all labor
Unions, members of which are en-
gagged in the production OF basic
ommodity, must become incorporat-
Cd in the state. This. he said, would
make their operations subject to in
Vestigation by public authorities. and
would serve to indicate to what use
are put the sums collected in dues.
Considerable pressure. coal men
bear on the operators through the
pnssible action of the. state and fed
eral commerce commission to regu-
late rates on railroads. Transporting
anthracite. Many of the executives
and representatives of the snthraclte
this city today. seemed to feel that
For some months at least. the incon-
renience, suffering or loss caused by
a strike would depend largely on the
liability of carrieSs TO- put n6ecesSSarSS s =; SarS
and bitumi inous at strategic points
Without DELAY They indicated their
belief that the railroads now were in
shape to do this.
SOft-COnl Trade BOOms.
The threatened strike is stimulat-
ing the trade in bituminous. and many
inquiries are being received from
large consumers throughout New
England. The Pennsylvania bitumi-
nous mines are in shape to increase
/, production from 3b to 40 per cent
IF necessary without adding additional
workers or requiring more freight
cars Operators state confidently that
they can dump huge quantities or
soft coal and coke into districts ar
fected by "A strike. Word from mine
worker officials in the Illinois helus
states positively that there viii be
no sympathetic strike in the bltuml-
nous mines of that section.
In the meantime, residents in the
anthracite district who are in closest
touch with the situation are buy
ing surplus supplies of coal as fast
las they can induce mines and dealers
10 deliver coal to them.