Evening star., 1927-03-31


ha ndle great quantities of fuel. when
they were unable to do in the past
Estimates of the Government ofi
Gals are that 90,000,000 tons OF pltu
minous coal are in stock now, Oh 'he
surface and in coal piles. me c"ii
sumption of coal from April ulti'
October is. lower than during the
other months of the year. something
like 5000, 900 to 9.750,0OO tons are con
sumed a week. With 9o,OoV'ooo to's
in stock and the non-union mines ca
nable in conjunction with those union
mines under temporary agreement, OF
producing within 100000 tons OF the
weekly consumption, it is not difncuit
to see that the country can continue
for many. many weeks and months
without serious trouble to the pubnc
and business.
The Federal Government is always
anxious to bring about adjustments OF
labor troubles and its good offices VIII
be open to the miners and the opera
tors II they wish to avail themselves
Of such machinery as has been pro
yided by law But the Government
has not the vital interest in bringing
about an adjustment of the differences
between miners and operators that II
had five years ago, when it moved IN
every way it could to bring peace. AAt
that time tie-up of industry was
Threatened, which might have thrown
a monkey wrench into the entire
machinery of business The country
was emerging from the postwar de
preston and getting on It's feet; Inc
prosperity that visited the United
States might have been greatly delayed
or prevented by prolonged coal
strike.
Coal Legislation Fails.
Many demands have been made in
the last five years upon Congress to
enact legislation which would give the
President authority to declare an
emergency in the event Of a suspen-
sion of coal mining. and which would
have set up machinery to prevent.
through publicity and through media
ton, disastrous coal strikes. But the
proposed legislation has failed, largely
because of the opposition of the coal
operators and coal miners themselves.
If that legislation had prevailed, the
Government today might have been
actively engagedsin bringing a settle
ment of the existing differences.
The. strike will prevail in the mines
of the central field. Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois. Temporary agreements, have
been entered into in the States West
of the Mississippi and in eastern Penn
sylvania. The central field however,
is the backbone of the unionized coal
industry The West Virginia. Ken
lucky. Alabama and other Southern
States mines are for the most non
union.
q Labor is cheaper and satisfied with
lower wages in the mines of the South
,ern' States. Furthermore, the nom
union mines are better able to develop
to their full benefit mechanical devices
In the mining industry. They find that
with unskilled labor they can operate
these devices, which the unions insist
shall be operated only by highly paid,
skilled labor.
Union Outlook Held Dark.
The outlook is not bright for the
union at this writing. The operators
Of the union mines are asking for re-
classification of labor and for a reduc.
ton of about 20 per cent in the wage
scale. Insistence upon the Jackson
vile scale of wages, it is pointed out in
some quarters, was apparently a great
mistake on the part of the union, for
1t has given the non- union mines a
chance to take the business away from
the union mines and work from the
union miners. II the wages in the
union mines were dropped so low as to
make the pendulum swing back, then
1t might be possible to 60 into the non
union mines and unioniZe them. But
under existing conditions, the non
union mines are running away with
the business.
During the last Is years hydro-elec-
trical horsepower has been increased
In industry In this country from H.
0O0. 900 horsepower to $4,000 900 horse
power. Much of this increase repre-
sents conversion rather than an actual
Increase, conversion from power devel
oped from burning coal.
The bituminous mines have been op-
Grating at far more than usual capac-
ity Of production in recent weeks,
with the strike impending. This has
been done to build up the stocks to
meet shutdown of the union mines.
The expected coal strike Is not likely
to affect business in the country
greatly, II at all. 1t Is a drawback, it
is admitted, to have ITS 900 to ESQ, 900
men out of work temporarily. But
that is not great matter when COM
pared to the millions who might be put
out of work il Industry In general
were handicapped by countrywide
coal strike.