Evening star., 1933-10-07
Straining at a Gnat.

President Roosevelt today is taking
a hand in the strike in the coal mines
operated by the big steel companies.
The failure of the companies and their
representatives to come to an agree
ment with the miners apparently is the
big stumbling block today in the work.
ing OF the coal code, set up under the
N. r. A. The President has summoned
to the White House Nathan L. Miller
of the American Iron and Steel In
stitute, Charles SchWab, chairman of
the board of the Bethlehem Steel Co.,
and Myron Taylor, chairman OF the
United States Steel Corporation. to talk
over the situation. Mr. Roosevelt took
this step after he had been informed
that the strike in the mines of Western
Pennsylvania not only threatened open
warfare between the miners and the
operators, but also was hamstringing
the entire N. R. A. program.
The nub of the controversy in the So
called captive" mines operated by the
steel companies is found in their refusal
20 far to agree to the 'check-off" sys-
tenn. This is the system by which the
dues Of the union miners are taken OF
of their pay envelopes and turned over
to the union, a system which prevails
IN the commercial coal mines operating
under contract with the United Mine
Of Ay,,pripo Tho Nf
the captive mines" had agreed to &C
cept the working conditions" prevail
ing in the commercial mines. The min
ers claim that the "check-off" system is
part of the working conditions. The
operators see it in another light.
It Is quite clear that under the coal
code as adopted and approved by op-
orators generally and by the miners and
the Government the right of collective
bargaining right of the men who
desire to organize il labor unions--has
been thoroughly acknowledged. Mine
operators have fought the unions tooth
and nail for years in many sections
OF the country. They have now agreed,
apparently in the interest Of general
industrial peace, to accept the principle
Of collective bargaining, in that they
have accepted the principle laid down
By the Congress Of the United States
In the national recovery act.
The "check-off" system has for
Tong time been a bone of contention be-
tween mine operators and the unions
However, II the operators have swal-
lowed the principle of collective bar
gaining and the right of men working
In the mines to become members OF
the United Mine Workers Of America,
refusal now to accept the check-otf
appears like swallowing camel and
straining at a gnat. There seems no
justification for disruption of the agree
ments entered into with reference to
collective bargaining on such grounds
Either the new system laid down in the
coal code is wrong or 1t Is right and
dust. This Is no time to kick up
row Of serious proportions over a detail
OF operation. The country is In no
mood to countenance coal strikes, for
whatever cause. What Is needed in
this time of stress and effort to re-
cover Is industrial peace. That IS some
thing for the workers as well as the
employers to remember.
President Roosevelt is sparing him
self not at all in his great effort to
bring success to the recovery program
He has been successful almost beyond
the bounds of possibility in his en-
deavors to bring about agreement on
the part Of labor and capital In the
adoption Of the N. R. A. codes. HIS
present move in relation to the strike IN
the mines operated by the steel COM
panies might have been expected. That
he will succeed in his effort to bring
peace there also may be predicted.