The daily worker., 1925-05-21

America, agrees JnaL WnlLe mas not o
Nonunion fields are not doing very
well, but employment is better there
than in union territory. OF course,
White does not charge the owners Of
unionized mines with conspiracy to
break the union agreement by a
starvation process. He merely recites
coal facts.
Big Mines Close.
In the report for Illinois he says:
"The developments of April in the
Illinois coal industry have not only
fallen substantially below the operat-
ors' hopes, but have likewise failed to
meet carefully calculated expectations,
even built up as they were on what
was, by common consent, a very likely
pessimistio attitude. Among the
mines closing are some whose normal
daily output ranges from 5000 to
5000 tons. 1t is no secret that
coal has been available from practic-
ally every producing field in the
United States, at or below production
cost. The labor situation is
likewise unchanged except as affected
by the increase in idle men from the
additional mines closed and closing" I"
Indiana's report shows that with a
productive capacity Of about 2,500,-
900 tons a month, the state produced
in April only 100000 tons, of which
100000 came from strip mines, mines
using loading machines and mines
working on the cooperative plan.
Other mines were to be closed April
80.
Pittsburgh Contracts Not Renewed.
From Pittsburgh No. district,
Ohio, came the report that, MANY
contracts expiring March 81 we're not
renewed" resulting in the closing of
mines. Out Of 140 mines in that field,
only 90 are operating, and many of
these only one or two days per week
In the central Ohio field, only five out
of 30 mines were expected to operate
this summer. In the southern Ohio
nC1u W clD CotAhAeSSC0 oS IL
to Is per cent of normal.
production in the central Pennsyl-
vania district continues to decline at
an alarming rate" says White. On
April 16 the mines Of the Northwest
ern Mining & Exchange Co., subsid-
iary of the Erie railroad, were closed
down indefinitely About 1900 union
miners were thrown out Of employ
ment, making a total of more than
$4,000 union miners idle in the dis
trict. The Berwind-White Coal Min
ing Co. reduced wages of their en-
pioyes approximately 20 per cent, ef-
fective April 8. This company op-
crates mines at Windber and Houtz-
dale, and tho it has never recognized
the Miners Union 1t has always paid
approximately the union scale. To in
sure steady employment the miners
accepted the reduction in good grace
and the mines have been operating
regularly"
U. s. Has Big Mining Capacity.
In West Virginia, on the other
hand, production is heavy. The Logan
district, nonunion, reports work
plentiful" The northern West Vir-
ginia district, in which the U. M.
w. A. called a strike at non-union
mines on April 1, reports tonnage OF
1850 for nonunion mines for the
week ending March 2S, 221,350 for the
week ending April 4, 231, 300 the next
week, 227,250 the third week and 1884,
500 tons the fourth week OF the
strike. The Kanawha district reports
STEADY increase in production" in
April, and denied rumors OF a strike.
All Of these statements point to the
shifting Of the soft coal industry 10
southern fields which as yet are large
ly nonunion. While unionized mines
are closed down, nonunion mines far
ther south are developed, altho the
total mining capacity Of tho United
States is 30 per cent beyond its
needs.