Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-09-12
The Weaknesses of the Coal Truce

(Public Ledger
The confusing public is at lib
erty TO relax from its recent strain
and draw deep breaths OF RELIEF.
Barring some unforeseen upset, we
may now face the winter that rs
coming and that 'of 1324-2S without
fear and trembling. We are not 60
ing to shiver and chill for the next
two years, and there will be no
anthracite strike to complicate the
campaign of 1924
So far, so good. The Pinehot
hypodermic has eased the pain
temporarily, and it is sometimes
hard for the patient 10 remember
that such narcotic injections are
not cvures. A truce IS a. truce, ana
whether it be agreed upon for two
months or two years, it is always
wise not to fool ourselves that a
truce is a settlement. Up at Har-
risburg they have showed over
| into 1925 the issues that cried out
| for settlement in 1928, and they
will be waiting for us around the
| turn in the road.
Harrisburg settled nothing ex-
cept the eight-hour day. That has
! come to stay, of course; but not
2 one of the three parties concerned
| in the strike-operators miners or
| public-is wholly satisfied with
| the terms of the truce. The miners
won an unquestioned victory; but
they believe the 10 per cent wage
increase about to be taken from
the public pocket is only part OF
what they should have and what
they could have forced out OF a
/ long strike They are saying
i frankly that they must have. and
in the end will get, the "check-o off:
| The operators are more or less
| dissatisfied, and are as frank as
! the miners in their declarations
that wages are too high now: that
| there must be annual wage re,
| visions, and that arbitration shall
not be abandoned. They point 10
the fact that mine wages, now
are to be increased by 10 per cent
/ more above the peak Of wartime
| pay.
plan is certain. and with reason.
! We have been given coal. at a
rrice. That price is higher than
we're the high price orgies dur
| ing and after the war; higher
| than ever before in coal-price MS
! tory. The average citizen is taxing
| little stock in assurances that the
operators can be made TO ABSORB
| ten cents of the sixty-cent. eighty
cent and possibly 81 mine-mouth
advance per ton resulting from in
! creased wage and eight-hour day.
| He is skeptical about railways,
/ Wholesalers, jobbers and retailers
shouldering any part OF the bur-
| den.
Temporarily, and from certain
political angles, the Harrisburg
truce has its values; but there is
nc hiding the fact that economi-
| cally it is plain olunder. In
| justices stick out all over 1t. The
three times the margin between
mine costs and mine prices they
enjoyed in 1918. It gives the
miners well-nigh three times what
they were getting in those days.
In return for a two-year assur-
! ance of fuel, the coal-user gets the
| privilege OF paying about twice
what he paid ten years ago. The
public has found that its financial
! interest has been, as usual, ignored
| by both sides.
This is one of the fundamental
weaknesses of the truce; but there
| wrong with the anthracite indus
try still is wrong. It's exorbitant
| profits are untouched. It's high
wages are to be made higher yet.
The jumbled distributions, its
entangling alliances. its inflated
| prices and it's threat to public
we'll being still exist. There has
| been no softening of it's arrogance
and no bending of its stiffened
| necks. Instead of cauterizing the
raw sores of the industry we have
| slapped a sticking plaster on them
! and turned our backs