The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-06-16

and Big Firms Grid for Lake Cargo
straightforward Debate AS of Ut
most Importance-Ohio Operators
Enter Fight for Equal Footing With
Southern Fields"
The lead to the story says:
"Prominent men and the largest
coal companies of Pittsburgh dis
trict will join in demanding justice
in coal rates on the Great Lakes. -.
"Among those who will lead the
Pennsylvanians in this hearing, the
most important for many gears to
the Western Pennsylvania coal in
dust1y, almost straRgled By rates
taUoring Southern mines will be j.
D. A. Morrow, president of the
Pittsburgh Coal Company, George
R. Francis, secretary of the Key
stone Coal Company, R. Templeton
Smith, of the Poland Coal Company.
d.. The Western Pennsylvanians are
poined in their fight by "a of the
biggest coal companies in Eastern
Ohio. E" my emphasis).
More Evidence of the Crisis.
For years the official leaders of
the United Mine Workers waged
widely heralded struggles around
the conference table" for flair
freight rates" for the now non-ex-
istent central competitive field"
Southern coal, especially that from
West Virginia, where John L. Lewis
sold out the miners, wiped out this
favorable alibi of the Lewis Off
cialdom for aiding the speed-up of
the miners as per the Jacksonville
agreement.
The renewal of the struggle for
justice by the Pennsylvania and
Ohio coal DEMONSTRATING the big
gest coal companies-and the be-
ginning of a new wage cutting CAM
paign, shows that those features of
naturalization which include me-
chanization and other forms of
speed-up, have so intensified the
crisis in the industry, which, caught
in the general economic crisis, must
now resort to the most dangerous
methods-for the coal barons-of
lowering production costs lie. an
outright campaign of wage cutting
nc longer disguised by the con-
temptible juggling of miners ton
mage figures, elimination of payment
for "dead work" increased penalties
for "dirty coaP' (coal containing
slate), etc.
The minerss' living standards are
now attacked from both sides
wages and work, Wages are cut and
thousands of miners left without
hope of employment by the permen-
ent closing of mines.
1000 Miners Are Fighting-More
VIII Join.
The strikes now taking place are
/ preliminary engagements. The Penn
= sylvania miners have a long tradi-
ton of struggle. They are respond.
ing to the call of the National
, Miners Union. The other day 40
miners in Penowa, the last substan-
, tial block for Lewis supporters in the
: district, announced their support of
t the NM.U.
The National Miners Union, and
I our Party, have a tremendous re-
: sponsibility in the present situation.
} The forces to lead these struggles
! must be secured. In this year Of
+ 1880 when the crash of all the pet
. permanent prosperity" theories Of
! the capitalist class and its fascist
agents of the American Federation
$ of Labor cannot be satisfactorily eX-
2 planned by the social fascists, when
S millions of workers see capitalism
t guaranteeing only mass unemploy-
ment and misery, the struggle in the
g Pennsylvania coal fields may very
= well be the beginning Of class con-
- flict which will bring into action
hundreds of thousands Of workers in
2 the mining industry and other allied
n and decisive industries.