Evening star., 1933-08-13
COAL CODE SOUGHT
BY PRIVATE STEPS
Taken When Public Hearings
Fail to Bring Warning
Factions Together.
Continued From First Page.)

among the various groups Of operators,
but also among the three rival miners
unions.
Among the codes proposed was the
so-called general agreement offered by
union operators and supported by the
United Mine Workers of America, Set
ting a basic wage of IS a day with a
per cent differential for the Southern
districts.
Another. offered by the non-union
operators Of the Northern coal control
and smokeless- -Appalachia groups, pro-
vided lower wages with a greater diff
ferential for the South. 1t added to
the collective bargaining provision a
stipulation that an employer, while re-
employees, may not be required to deal
with a union including employees other
than his own.
Donald r. Richberg, N. r. A. counsel,
asked the group to remove this pro-
vision, but met with refusal. Hugh
S. Johnson, the N. r. A. chief, indicated
plainly the administration would not
cCuntenance any amendment CT the re-
covery acts collective bargaining pro-
vision.
Make Third Proposal.
A third proposal came from the
Alabama operators, whose representa-
tives, Forney Johnston. served notice
on the Administration that they would
not consent to their inclusion in any
agreement along the lines of the union
code without a contest"
He asked that they be permitted to
operate under their own code, locally
administered. without supervision by
the N r. A. 1t offered no increase
over present wages paid in that region
and contained an amendment to the
collective bargaining provision setting
forth the right of workers not to or
ganize.
A number of operators approved .he
general terms of the union code but
asked specific exemptions, in most
cases as to wage scales, for their own
territories to meet what they said were
peculiar situations.
Though the United Mine Workers
supported the union code, John L.
Lewis, president Of the union. made 1t
clear they actually desired greater con-
cessions than it provided. He asked q
IS minimum basic wage for a six-hour
day, rather than for an eight-hour day
as the code proposed, and attacked its
Southern differential.
The hearings were marked by several
flare-ups between officials of the United
Mine Workers and the Progressive
Miners of America. The contracts OF
the latter organization with Illinois op-
orators were used as the basis for the
wage scale in the code submitted by the
Coal Producers Association of Illinois
Makes Attack on Scales.
At yesterdays session. William J. Sneed
president of the Illinois district Of the
United Mine Workers. attacked these
scales and declared the rival union had
devised nothing and initiated nothing
for the benefit of their membership, but
have trailed along after the United
Mine Workers of America, snarling at
their heels"
Sneed remarked that five of their
members have been sentenced to the
penitentiary for murder, four for life
and one for 40 years" and added that
not one instance of bombing has been
charged against the United Mine
Workers of America"
The third union, the National Miners
Union. representing the left wing of
organized mine labor. demanded
through its secretary, Frank Rorich of
Pittsburgh, s6 basic daily wage and
six-hour day.