Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-08
New Hope in the Coal Fields
Cimmer of

can take our coal or leave It and obtain
their supplies elsewhere We are at the
mercy of railroads. which by a change
Of rates can bring into our terri
tory cheaper coal from other remote
fields that could not compete under a
proper rate structure. If we raise the
wages Of miners and the operators of
other States keep on paying low wages,
we will be undersold and driven off the
market, our properties placed in receiv-
ership, our stockholders ruined. If we
try to combine to limit competition or
to raise prices so that fair wages will be
possible, we may be prosecuted under
the antitrust laws. What are we
to do?"
Owners Problems Far Reaching.
Those are the practical questions that
will have to be answered before half q
million miners and several million wom-
en- and children dependent upon them
can be lifted out of economic degra-
dalton.
Those are the questions that the pub
lie will have to answer in considering
| any public or private project for coal
control.
Those are the questions that, in all
probability. Congress and State Legisla-
lures will have to ponder before long
This much Is certain: Unrestricted
production and competition in uncon-
trolled, disorderly marketing Is no more
beneficial to the ccal miner than is the
same kind Of production and marketing
to the farmer. Reasonable competition
the public needs, and must have, as q
protection against profiteering; unrea-
Sonable competition lowers wages, ruins
industry, degrades the American stand
ard Of living.
All my adult life have been a mem
Der OF labor union. know that when
the sound principles behind the labor
union movement are put into practice
they are beneficial to both employer and
worker. During the time I was Secre-
tary OF Labor in the cabinet Of President
Coolidge the coal operators and miners
came together In conference, and out of
that conference came what was known
as the Jacksonville agreement.
President Hoover, then the Secre-
tary OF Commerce, was familiar with
that document. 1t provided a decent
standard Of wages for miners, but 1t did
not last because of the pressure of too
much competition. The miners con-
tended that it was the operators who
broke the agreement. Those operators
who broke the agreement commended
that they could not adhere to it and
still remain in business as long as coal
was being sold elsewhere at lower labor
COSTS
The result was the worst thing that
can happen in any industry contin-
ual slaShing and counterslashing Of
wages, prices, wages, prices, wages
prices. Apparently wages can now go
no lower. for the miners are in revolt
and many of the coal companies are in
the hands of the receivers or else closed
down completely. The only practical
solution of the problem is 20 reorgan-
lie the industry in such a manner as to
insure fair labor wage, capital fair
return and the public fair price for
the coal. This cannot be done without
some uniformity of price and uni
fornity Of wage scales and with a
reasonable limitation of competition
that will protect the natural markets
for the various fields. The sooner oper-
ators and miners get together in con-
ference to work out a plan that will be
satisfactory to all concerned, the sooner
the industry will be restored to pros
porous condition.
See what has happened under unre-
stricted competition Of the last few
years: The price of bituminous coal has
been cut nearly in half Railroads
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