Evening star., 1943-10-15
Coal
Continued From. First Page. y

| already granted by the WLB, more
than So a day additional pay, by
allowing an hour and a half daily
for underground travel. This would
be contingent on an equalizing price
increase which operators estimated
would amount to from % to 40 cents
ton.
The WLB rejected an earlier con-
tract between the union and the
Illinois operators granting fat in
crease for underground or portal
to-portal pay, stating it regarded
that as fiat pay increase in viola
ton of the little steel" wage
formula.
Survey Shows Showdown.
A survey of production figures from
half dozen companies employing
more than $4,000 miners in Pennsyl-
vania, West Virginia, Kentucky and
Illinois, disclosed that, whether
deliberate or not, there has been a
SlOWuOWn IN output.
These figures showed the average
miner was producing $50 tons a
day for the companies in August,
1941. four months before Pearl
Harbor, but now is digging only ATS
tons, decrease of slightly less than
ton a day per man. The drop
since the union contract expired
April has been about three -tenths
of ton per man.
In the face of these figures, John
D. Battle, executive secretary, told
the National Coal Association in
Cleveland that the industry does not
expect shortage IF our men will
continue at work and if we can get
absenteeism cut to normal rate"
There are, or course, many other
angles helping decrease output.
notably the induction into the armed
forces of about Is per cent of the
miners, most of them the youngest
and best workers, and migration of
scores of thousands to other indus
tries.
Secretary Ickes, before relinquish-
ing supervision of the mines Tues
day, said production was slipping
and contract was needed to clarity
the situation
Mine Closing Feared.
One leading operator said the de-
creased output has become SO serious
that half dozen of his mines would
be closed except for the emergency,
because the cost exceeded the price
realized.
Even John OLeary, international
vice president of the UNIV, recog-
nized the slowing down in a Labor
Day speech reported in the unions
official journal, which quoted him as
saying the then below 10000 900
tons week output would be hiked
past 100000 tons if a contract
were agreed on.
Absenteeism was represented as
serious obstacle to capacity output.
but figures from the companies sur
veyed here did not agree with the
statement made in Cleveland yes
terday by C. C. Dickinson of
Charleston. w. Va, president of the
National Coal Association, that the
national average was about Is per
cent"
The mines varied in each district.
| but the average among the $4,000
men was 81 per cent, about 2 per
cent higher than two years ago.
That compared with a 5 per cent
absenteeism reported by the Alum
mum Co. Of America: SIG by the
Automotive Council for War Pro-
duction in Auto Plants; 4 per cent
by the district steel companies, and
81 per cent in five shipyards studied
by the War Manpower Commission.
Work on Holiday Urged.
Citing the critical shortage of
anthracite coal, officials of three
UNIV districts which include ali of
the $4,000 anthracite miners, last
night called on the men to break
an industry precedent by continuing
at work on Mitchell Day, October
20. 1t was reported from Scranton.
Mitchell Day. set aside in memory
OF the late John Mitchell, pioneer
coal mine union organizer, is recog-
nlzed as an annual holiday.
In a joint circular to workers
presidents of UNIV Districts /, Z
and 9 said:
THE best tribute we can pay to
the memory of the illustrious John
Mitchell is for every man to turn out
for work on that day and continue
the greatest possible production of
coal, in his memory.
I'VE are sure If John Mitchell
were alive today he would ask that
this be done"