OCR Text |
Show v oo GENERAL GOAL STRIKELOQiyiS "P Public Beincj Sandbagged by Fuel Operators, Labor j Head Asserts B INDIANAPOLIS, nd., July 24 H Possibility of a genera strike of bitu- I ro!nous coal minora through the cen-' H ' tral competitive Molds waa revealed In a statement given out here tonight by B John L. Lewis, president of the I mtd H Mine orkers of America, regarding H the strike now in progress In the 1111- H nols Heidi H Any settlement of thi Illinois strike vrhicli would nullify the basic intei -H state agreement under which the mln- H era of the central field are now work-' H itig v. nuid result in action by the na- H tlonal officers to enforce nn immediate H shutdown of all the bituminous mines. Involving a strike of 210,000 men, Mr. t H Lewis LAMENTABLE BLUNDER. H Mr. Lewis declined to amplify his H statement declaring that he consid- H ored it self explanatory. His atate- mtnt follow 3 H " The present situation in tne Illinois H I ccal fields is directly chargeable- to the lahientable blunder of the I'nltodl Slates bituminous coal commission,! which In lis majority award failed to H provide adequate compensation fori certain classifications of mine work-! H ers. This award was affirmed by H President Wilson over the protest of H the national officers of the Ir.ltedi H Mine. Workers and in violation of the' H pledges of the United States govern- H i ment that Justice would be rendered miners. UISIERABLE BREAKDOWN. P "Since the icndltlon of the uward B the mine workers In most of the coal H producing fields have been employed H but a small percentage of full time,: Hi due to the mlscrabli breakd wn "f the , HHHh nation's transportation facilities In I HHHj the meantime the coal operators are' HHHH charging unprecedented prices for coal HHV and are enthusiastically engaging in HHHH what one may term the sun dance of HHH the profiteers. In certain sections coal HHHJ is selling at the outrageous and lnde- ! fenslble price of from $11 to $12 per I HHHI ton f o. b. mines. The American pub-1 HL lie Is beln? sandbagged by iheac dar- Ing commercial vandals who stagger HHHHV beneath their EFFORTS REPULSED. HHI ftWhon the basic agreement between HHI the miners and operators waa con&um-l HHHHV mated on March 31. the representa-' HHHHV tlves of the mine workers at that time HHHHV attempted to secure the acquleaehce HHI of the operators In an arrangement! which would give Justice to the da j H workers and monthly men Their af-j H forts were repulsed In every way by I H tho coal operators, since which time, the United Mine Workers have in eV-1 eV-1 ery way assumed the obligations of the ! wag, agreement to which the Illinois ' B operators are a party. The publii B expressed desire of the Illinois oper- j H alors to now amend the wage agree-, B ment has not been officially transmit-' B ted to the officers of the national! B union which hoi supervision over such' matters. BpBpBa "If a settlement Is made In Illinois HI I which modifies the basic interstate ByByBH agreement prompt action will be tak-i HBSBSBV en b this office to force an immediate' HBSBVAVJ shut-down of ull mines operating In H the central competitive field, lnvolv-j lng some 210,000 men, until similar j modification together with other lm-H lm-H provements oa arranged for In the other coal producing states 1 Mr. Lewis would not discuss the j calling of a general strike as a possl-J possl-J blllty If the miners of Illinois ncgotl-j( ncgotl-j( ate a separate ;igrc ment with the op-j op-j erators of the state Immediately fol-HJ fol-HJ lowing the announcement of the agreement between Vie operators and miners' offli-ials last March which agreement was made on the basis of the coal strike settlement commission there were sporadic strikes of company com-pany men or day men throughout tho J central competitive field. These men j perform the l.-ibor incidental to min-j min-j ing of coal. They declared that they were not given increaaea comniensu-HBSBSBVJ comniensu-HBSBSBVJ rate with those granted tho other workers in the mines. |