Evening star., 1925-11-08
PROSPEROUS COAL
MINERS IGNORANT
OF STRIKES GOAL
Anthracite Diggers Seem
Provided With Money
for Long Siege.
LITTLE FUEL REMAINS;
DISORDER IS LACKING
Outlook for Settlement Vague
With Both Parties Dug" In
for the Winter.
III HAROLD Il. PHILIPS.
STAFF Correspondent of The star

Here. where the front lines OF the
embattled miners and anthracite coal
harons are outlined by seemingly end
less miles of dark silent colieries, two
less miles of dark, silent collierieS, TWO
as one of the most interesting indus
trial feuds in the history of organized
labor.
One is the complete lack of dis
tress, or even want, among the
miners, despite the fact that they
have now been iobless more than two
months, and the other is the admit
ted and absolute ignorance OF the
rank and file among the strikers as
to just what they are fighting for.
They are simply following their l1ad-
ers blindly.
Abundance of Money.
Everywhere there seems to be an
abundance of money and this. strip
of Pennsylvania. which depends at
least so per cent upon King Coal for
its livelihood, is in the midst of an
era of prosperity exceeded only by
the boom of the war days. Business
is excellent, the banks are loaded and
the miners seem to be enjoying their
enforced vacation.
Unlike the bituminous fields of
West Virginia, there are few if any
real mining camps. The spreading
cities and towns dotting the Lacka-
wanna and Wyoming Valleys have
reached out and embraced them all
within their corporate limits. Hence
1t is only in the smaller towns that
the stranger can distinguish the
Nt-Ii hi
lar" toiler and engage him in conver-
sation. In cities like Wilkes Barre
the Charita Bile societies are the ba-
rometers OF need.
But in places like Pittston. which
welcomes the visitor from Washington
like brother because its own
'Bucky" Harris is now an important
parsonage in the National Capital. the
miners may be found talking quietly
in little groups on the corners or
sitting quietly on the porcheS of their
comfortable little homes. There they
discuss this strike with carefree
abandon.
"Oh. we get along vey well, me.
my wife and the keeds,' said one of
four that We're found busily engaged
pitching horseshoes back of a barn
or the outskirts of Pittston.
We don't have quite as much as
before, but we have plenty. The
union, she take care of those who
have noting. Those who have few
thousan' dollar. they mus look out
for themselves
When do you think the strike will
end the four were asked.
Hell, we don know" replied one,
while the others went on pitching the
horseshoes.
That's all in the hands of the
union. We don care. The union said
quit. so we quit. When the union
say Go back we go back. Mebbe we
get some more money. Mebbe not
Union take care all those things.
That's what we pay dues for
Thus it seems to be everywhere up
here. In Olyphant. Mayfield, or even
in Nanticoke. where John l.. Lewis
president of the United Mine Workers
of America. spoke only few nights
ago. il is all the same. Complete and
admitted lack Of understa ndinc There
is Just hazy idea in the minds of the
miners that in the course of time the
union will get them an increase in
wage. And that is all that concerns
them.
Answers to Wages.
The only time the most imperti-
nent inquirer can rouse the miners
to any mental eXertion is when he
asks them If they don't think they
make enough. That question was
asked of a trio in Olyphant. BY way
Of answer the inquirer was escorted
around to the homes of 80 widowed
wives and orphaned children. When
the miner goes down into the coal
pits he never knows whether he will
ever come out alive again.
The average wage Of the expert
enced miner is 81 day. Ordinarily
he works six days A week. His helper
averages around $3.50 a day but out
of this he manages to save cunsid-
erahle and the majority have good
fat bank accounts. That is why il
seems hopeless for the operators to
attempt to starve the miners into
submission.
Taking Pittston again as a typical
mining town. one of the several banks
the-e has $4,000. 900 in savings ac-
counts. Much of that was deposited
by miners. Actual tabulations by the
asher showed that since September
!. the day this strike began, only
$3.50 900 had been withdrawn. This
would indicate that the miners war
funds are dissolving very slowly.
They are. as rule. thrifty folks.
whose earlier life in Europe accus-
toned them to plain living
Neither in Scranton nor Wilkes
Barre have the Charitabl institu-
tions had more than the normal num-
her of appeals for help. Rev. John
Joseph Curran, pastor Of st. Mary
Catholic Church here, who Is we'll
known and beloved OF vast ma ajority
Of the miners in this district. has had
only one appeal from 4 man, nor is
Father Curran yet sure the man
really is a miner.
Disorder Is Lacking.
With close to 15S. 1000 men idle now
going on three months. it would be
only natural that there would be some
serious disorders now and then. Yet
the records at the city hall in Wilkes
Barre show that the number of per-
sons arrested last month, the second
month of the strike, dropped 40 per
cent below the arrests fer August
possirty the miners complacent un
concern accounts for that.
Stories that go around outside the
coalflelds about the huge wages paid
he miners are easily explained here.
There Fre two xind= Of miners. con.
Continued on Page ,, Column A.