Evening star., 1924-12-21
MINE FEDERATION
RIFT UNCOVERED
World Body, Once Peaceful,
Torn by Strife-U. S. View
Stays Action.
Correspondence of The Star and New York
World.

Correspondence of The Star and New York
World.
LONDON, November eI-A critical
|, situation has arisen in the Interna-
tional Federation of Miners, the oldest
and one of the most powerful world
wide trade union organizations. The
attitude of the American miners has
had an important influence on the
development of this crisis so. far and
1t is not unlikely they will be the de-
cisive factor in it's solution and in
determining the whole future of the
miners international organiza ton.
The critical phase began about
year ago Up till then the Inter
national Miners Federation was on
the whole happy family. Unity was
complete and relations cordial be-
tween the nations represented in it
and the federation was growing
steadily in numbers, power and pres
tise. Frank Hodges, then secretary
of the British Miners Federation, was
also secretary of the International
Federation, and. owing to his knowl-
edge of French and his personal tact.
he was popular with the miners lead
ers of all nations
The change came when Mr.. Hodges
~as elected for the British Pariia-
ment in December, 1929, followed by
his appointment as civil lord of the
admiralty in the Labor government
The continental delegations saw no
reason why either of Shese functions
\ should debar him. save, perhaps, for
Yeyr short period, from continuing
his functions in the national and in
tsrnational miners movement On
the European continent most promi-
nent miners leaders are at the same
time members of Parliament and some
of them have been members of the
government OF their respective coun-
tries.
Different View Arises.
The British Miners Federation,
however, held a very different view
ON entering Parliament Mr.. Hodge
had to resign from his post secre-
tary of the British Federation. That
did not, however, at first carry with
1t any change In the secretaryship of
the international federation. 1t was
only when Mr.. Hodges joined the Brit
ish government that the new Brit
ish miners secretary. ]. A. Cook, was
delegated in Mr.. Hodges place to
attend the committee meetings of
the miners International, and IL was
there the British delegation proposed
to appoint Mr.. Cook international sec
retary pro tempore-that is, as long as
Mr.. Hodges should be prevented by
his ministerial duties from fulfilling
his secretarial functions or until the
1nterna tional Miners Congress, which
was to meet in Augusa. 1924, in
Prague, should appoint an interna-
tional secretary.
The continental miners leaders
never doubted for one moment that
Mr.. Hodges would resume his place as
international secretary as soon as
an opportunity offered itself. as they
knew Mr. Hodges himself was very
willing TO do. But they soon found
out that that was not at all the way
the British miners looked at the mat
ter. In their view Mr.. Cook had
come to stay not only as British sec
retary, but as international secre-
tary, and Mr.. Hodges was regarded
as having definitely severed his off,
cial connections with the miners
movement.
Irritnted Others,
This irritated the continental lead
ers all the more, as they presently
discovered Mr.. Cooks views did not
square with their own. Mr.. Cook is
Il left-wing, trade unionist in Eng
land, and, although he supports the
Labor party in politics, he declares
himself communist in theory and
favors the united front with the Com
munists and with the Red Trade
Union International. The conti-
mental miners leaders are without ex-
ception bitterly opposed to COM
munism and refuse to have any deal
ing with the Red International.
The position in the miners inter
national thus became increasingly un-
comfortable, and when the Prague
congress came around II was further
greatly aggravated by the discovery
that Mr.. Cook, IN the capacity OF
international miners secretary, had
~-Nyf Two \ IL -
the Russian miners organization with
d view to an ultimate understanding,
and that in a way which the conti-
mental miners leaders regarded
almost as a breath of trust. They
made no effort to conceal from Mr..
Cook he did not enjoy the confidence
OF any of the continetal miners lead
ers forming part Of the international
committee. Tha did not, however,
induce Mr.. Cook to tender hts resig-
nation or to withdraw his candidature
for the international secretaryship.
On the contrary. he gave the commit
tee to understand that any mani
festation of distrust toward him
self would be regarded as an insult
40 the powerful British Miners Fed
eraton. whose national secretary he
was and whose confidence he pos
eessed.
To avoid a painful and dangerous
conflict in open session of congress,
the committee decided to take up an
old desire of the International Miners
Federation and appoint full-time
international secretary. In this way
Mr.. Cook would be debarred from the
international secretaryship by the,
mere fact of his being British ma
tional secretary and the way would
perhaps be opened for the appoint
Tnent of Mr.. Hodges. The only difa-
Guilty was the financial one.
But at this point the American
miners delegates present in Prague.
Nessrs. Philip Murray, w. Nesbit and
insisting upon the absolute necessity
of finding the money for the estab-
lishment of permanent international
secretarist with a full-time secretary
drawing an adequate salary, and
promising the full financial support
of the United Mine Workers of
America with It's 100000 members.
This latter argument had a decisive
effect, especially on the British dele
cation, and 1t was unanimously de-
cided not to appoint a secretary at
that congress, but to instruct the in
ternationaI committee to meet within
three months for the purpose of ap-
pointing a full-time international
secretary.
New Surprise Found.
The international committee duly
met in Brussels November and 6,
but there was new surprise await
ing the continental delegates The
ecutive COMMITTEES did not see it's way
70 he