Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-29
COAL CONTROVERSY
FAR FROM SETTLED
Operators Willing to Nego-
tlate Further by Districts,
But Want Wage Cut.
BY j. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK, March 29.-Permis
sion for the bituninous coal miners OF
the central competitive field to re
main at work at present wages pend
ing fur er negotiations by districts
seems 1hely to avert walkout of the
workers April !, in some districts al
least.
1t VIII not. on the other hand, &c
Tar toward changing the attitude OF
many of the soft coal operators
Ihese men assert that conditions in
Y the coal industry today are such that
IL is impossible to continue operation
Of their mines under the so-called
Jacksonville wage scale, which is
based on a $3.50 day.
The operators of the various dis
uicts have not as yet had chance to
weigh and discuss the latest proposal
which has come from the United Mine
Workers headquarters at Indiana
polls, but it is not deemed likely
among transportation and fuel men
that they will object to further
negotiations by districts. What it is
telt that they will insist on is negotia.
mons for revision downward.
Cut Must Not Be Ratified.
4. The miners representatives so far
shave been authorized only to nego-
tiate for the best trims possible,
which shall not involve a cut from
the scale established by the Jackson
vile agreement Any revision down
ward, therefore, must be further
ratified.
The operators are not all in the
same boat, 10y any means. Some of
the mines are owned and operated by
companies which absorb most of their
own output. These can afford to
work at a scale which would cut mar
gins of profit from underneath a con-
Germ which has to sell it's coal under
competition from non-union mines.
each side to the controversy asserts
1T can see the objective of the oppo-
nentS in the present situation. The
operators claim to see in the latest
union move an attempt to split the
ranks OF the operators and prevent
them from acting as a unit. On the
!, other hand, the miners see in the de-
mand of the operators for q "continu-
ously competitive scale an attempt
TO keep union and non-union miners
at swords points.
In Pennsylvania the Pittsburgh
Coal Co, one of the largest producers,
now is operating many of its mines
on a non-unionA basis in the very Gen.
ter of the unionized field at a wage
scale lower than the Jacksonville
agreement. Officials of the company
claim they can get all the miners they
want.
1t is unlikely that companies work
Ing under this and similar arrange
ments will negotiate with the union
representatives, even though they
might have to keep a considerable
protective force on the payroll. Nom
inally, a strike in the central COM
petive field would involve some
100000 miners. Actually, with many
mines already closed, no small num-
Der OF the 100000 already are out of
work.
Roads Don't Want Strike.
Unprecedented observers have not
given up hope of settlement because
they say that each side realizes the
terrific losses which are bound to come
10 each. The coal-carrying railroads
do not want strike, since it would
cut down their revenue freight to
some extent.
In the anthracite field the individual
mine workers do not look with any
great favor on a bituminous strike.
SINCE they would be expected to do
thelr part to help their soft coal fell
low unionistS financially, as the hit,,
nlinous men helped them a little over
= year ago. The anthracite miners
sre Just getting back on their feet.
out they had an object lesson as to
the effect of strikes today, when the
anthracite operators announced they
ilad raised large sum to be expended
In advertising in order to win back
customers and markets lost during
the l925-26 strike. The miners are
realizing that this loss affects them
as well as the operators.