San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-15
commission to Employ
Last Weapon in Effort
at Settlement.
I2-HOUR DAY PASSES
little Excitement as Short
er Hours Become
Effective. rsk
BY j. C. ROYLE.

%.
|onyright by The San Antonio Light
( lew York, Aug. Is" Moral sua-
Eonn is the lever which the federal
bal commission will employ IN IS
Efforts TO bring an agreement the an
hracite miners and operators, whose
representatives met with the commits
hon here today. There was every IN
LEGATION that strong pressure must De
|Serted on that lever to move nego-
tations past the "check off demand
II the miners. the obstacle which stall
II the Atlantic City wage conference.
bpce that obstacle is past, however,
|egotiations should roll along
moothly.
In calling the conference. the com
Mission took step which neither
liners nor operators were willing 10
axe for fear of weakening their posi-
Ions. although the way for resump-
Ion of negotiations had purposeiy
cen left open by each side.
VI arbitration of their differences
.hould be agreed to at the sugges-
Ion of the commission the present
,ale would have to be continued after
.ugust 81, the date on which IT ek-
Iires. as presentation of the arguments
| either side of each demand end
tnal agreement probably could not be
rowded into the next two weeks.
he operators have volunteered TO sub
. bit the matters in question to arbl-
ration, but it seemed evident today
hat considerable weight must be
brown on the "moral suasion" lever
efore the miners will agree to sub
I ,it the check off to arbitration or
. abandon their stand on that ques-
lion. ..-s.
Only Weapon Left.
Moral suasion," however. is prac-
ically the only weapon available for
ne commission. There can be no
Iuestion of operating the mines by
Itrikebreakers either with or without
government protection, for the laws oil
'ennsylva Tia provide that a miner
|nust have two years experience IN
ntbracite mines before he may given
HE necessary license and outside OF
q 155, 900 men who would drop their
|xHSeptember IL, only handful IN
re country could qualify. Even II
,,ngress could be assembled and the
ecessary authority granted for gov
irnment operation of the properties,
MON officials say that their contract
could terminate just the same on Sep
lember / and that new contract
3rould have to be concluded with the
Soyernment before work could be re-
Iumed if such an agreement were not
cached before that date.
Eventually one side or the other
. yill have to recede from its check
/ ff" stand, either before or after
Iuspension of work. Indications to-
ay pointed toward such an eventual
Iecession on the part of those who
ave made it before the United Mine
Workers Of America. Such recession,
owever, might gain considerable con-
essions. on other demands.
TweIve-hour Day Passes.
Bv early Thursday morning the
|welve-hour day will have passed out
{ the steel mills of the United states
Corporation mills ard most OF the in
epepdent manufacturers. Little ex-
Element will mark its passage as the
|hange has been discounted by both
mpioyers and employees. The nine
nd ten-hour shifts will continue, but
|nbor leaders expressed the belief to-
ay. that the eight-hour day for all
Iorkers must come soon. The aboli-
Ion OF the twelve-hour day has come
IhiIe mills are working on active
chedules and more men will be re-
Hurled. II has already swollen the
eavy payrolls of the Pittsbu &. Ohio
nd Illinois districts and merchants
re reaping the benefit.
Steel men were not agreed today
to whether steel prices would be
Idyanced as a result of the change,
hut all stoutly maintained that a
kshH4 for lower prices soon had been
kilIed by the added expense.
Randolph Serf, presi ZEN Of the In
Iustrial Steel Corporation of Chicago,
laid the eight.hour day obviously
heant somewhat higher production
bsts. "Whether changing over from
be twelve-hour day will mean higher
trees or merely thai contemplated re-
uctions canont now be made, remains
b be seem" he added. Increased de-
hand for steel. in my opinion. would
Inevitably have led TO some reduction,
ut that now seems improbable"
Higher Prices Seen.
Higher production costs usually
lean higher prices, but not always"
aid NJ. Lowenstein, president of the
CENTRAL Steel and Wire Company. 1T
very difficult to prophesy in our
BUSINESS. We must await develop
hents."
Other steel men in the Middle West
expressed belief that price advances
81 to So ION would be necessary.
Il the offices of the Illinois Steel
company it was intimated by officials
no declined to be quoted that chances
br price Establishments downward had