Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-08-01
COAL STRIKE. HANGS
ON CHECK OFF PLAN.
Factors Pointed Out Which
/ Have Brought. Operators
and Miners to Deadlock.
BY j. C. ROYLE.


Indications point strongly to a strike in
the anthracite fields September l. This is
the first of two dispatches by Mr.. Royle in
which it will be shown how the situation will
have a tremendous bearing on industrial rela-
tions not only in the anthracite region but in
basic industries throughout the country
Special Dispatch to The Star.
SCRANTON, Pa. August 1.-The
question of a suspension of mining in
the anthracite fields one month from
today is balanced on the knife edge
of the check off, the demand made by
the miners that the union dues. fires
and assessments be deducted by the
companies from the pay of tie min
ers and turned over to. the. United
Mine Workers.
Both miners and operators have
their cards on the table. but not all
of their cards are fac = 'Np. Neither
miners, operators nor bubble want a
strike. The buried 4-ards of the min
ers and operators are the concessions
each side is will .ng to make to avoid
one. The pub r may hold cards in
the game thrC/ugh pressure of public
opinion. xe'.ted directly or through
government, al interposition in some
form.
BOta Sides Standing Firm.
ers ar@ standing pat and business
men 81 this section. whose prosperity
dep -nds on both. express t9e :, os sneL
te mbe ere ID o When the present agree
rnent expires and that it will be fol-
flowed by suspension OF mining,
(which. however win not develop into
a. long continued strike.
OFT W,lr wlni h neE fnglis. president q
the Glen Alden Coal Company. told
the writer today Mr.. lnglls was a
representative of the operators at the
recent Atlantic City wage conference
and voiced the opinions of the other
operators of this section We viii
never concede that. The sooner the
miners and the public recognize that
fact the better. We are not collect
ing agency for the United Mine
Workers. If their organization is
not attractive enough so that the
miners are willing to pay their dues
TO retain membership, we VIII not
collect those dues for them TO build
up the financial power of the mine
workers. That determination is fixed
and final"
If ever We are to obtain the check
off system" said Enoch Williams,
secretary and treasurer of the United
Mine Workers organization for dis
trict No. l, and also one of the AT
lantic City conferees, lit must be
now. Otherwise we must quit asking
for it. Every man in the anthraclte
mines enjoys the betterments ana
protection which have been obtained
through our organization and which
We are under heavy expense to main
tain. We are determined that as tney
reap the benefits. all shall share IN
dcfraylng the expense. Our ATTITUDE Is
firm"
Ia Weaker Positions.
Ne.tber side is in as advantageous
no. ~ IN withstand strike as IN
l92I'' said Mark K. Edgar, secretary
of the Scranton Board of Trade. Fhe
Operators lost a tremendous amount OF
money during the six months the strike
lasted. They have not yet had chance
70 recoup their losses. The miners IN,
dividuaIly exhausted their savings and
strained their credit to the breaking
point They sold their liberty bonds
like hot cakes and they nave not YET
had time to build up individual reserves.
although the mine workers treasury is
IN strong position.
Then too. the 1922 strike began in
the spring, when the miners could and
did camp out or seek work in the fields
or elsewhere. Railroad transportation
then was inadequate and the bitumfous
miners also were on strike.
Very different conditions prevail
now. Winter is coming on, the pres
sure of public demand for coal will be
keener. the btumionus mines have ire
mcndous production and there are ample
cars to carry that coal to market. In
view of these factors. business men in
this section feel that the differences will
be ironed out and that even if there
should be suspension of mining after
September l it would not be long con-
tinued.
Il cannot, however, visualize the OPP
orators granting the check-off demand,
for that demand means an absolutely
closed shop and, in effect. takes from
them the right to say what they shall
do with their own properties and turns
that right over. not to their employees
but to union officials"
Opposed to Soft Coal Offer.
Both anthracite operators and
miners regard the offer of the btu
minous operators to put the entire
output of their mines at the dis
posal of the government in the event
of an anthracite strike, as two
strokes for the soft coal producers
and one for the public. Each side
here maintains that the bituminous
operators have long cast covetous
eyes on the markets in which an
thracite has held the dominant posi-
ton. and that the soft coal men will
lingly would submit to price fixing
for the sake of getting a foothold
Fash side, recognizes fully the dan
ger of this and each willingly points
out that danger to the other.
The men should realize" said Mr..
IN IiS, tudl II pllunlnouS coal super
sedes anthracite in some places, it
VIII mean that less coal viii be mined
and less men employed"
"Fenr Loss of Markets.
The operators. in seif-defense,
must fight to hold the markets against
soft coal and OIL" said Mr.. Williams,
"or the profits will fall Off"
In viewing the whole situation it
should be borne in mind that each
side to this controversy has made a
lot of money in recent years. Mine
owners have piled up heavy profits
and contract miners have gained
splendid returns from short hours of
work. Neither side wishes to let go
of one prospective penny and each
probably is willing to make conces-
ATOMS. What these concessions will
be is secret, but there is every indi-
cation that on the part of the oper-
ators,' the check-off is not one of