Debate

Leisurely if not languidly a battle was carried on at Atlantic City--a battle between mine operators and mine workers over the terms of the next wage agreement with the miners' union. The second week of battle brought little more progress than the first. Everything was discussed except the main point, the miners' three chief demands:

1) 10% more pay for contract miners and a dollar a day more for day men;

2) a two-year contract; 3) collection of union dues from miners' pay by the operators (the check-off).

John L. Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers, was called away and was not present when the week's negotiations opened. Each charged the other with delaying the proceedings in hope of a strike. As a result, two sessions of conference were held every day instead of one. Many minor issues were discussed and a few tentatively settled. The operators charged that the miners were restricting output in certain districts. The miners denied this and charged that the operators had increased costs by paying excessive salaries to their officials. The operators retorted that the cost of the pay of officials came to less than one cent a ton, but that the wages of miners came to $4.60 a ton. The miners suggested that the operators join them in petitioning the Interstate Commerce Commission to reduce freight rates on coal, any reduction to be divided 50-50 between lower prices to consumers and greater wages to miners.

The railroads of the East promptly objected through their "public relations" officials.

John Hays Hammond, Chairman of the late Coal Commission which two years ago made a survey of the coal industry costing $600,000 (it has never been officially published for lack of a $30,000 appropriation), declared:

"Looking at the situation from the point of view of the public, I should advise the public to buy their winter's supply of coal now. The prices are now about as low as can be reasonably expected. . . . I think there will not be a strike. . . . If there is one it will not last long."

Secretary of Labor Davis, sailing for Europe to be away until August 25 (six days before the present wage contract expires and the strike, if any, will begin), remarked:

"We have two men at the conferences between the operators and the miners. These men, Dewey and Rogers, the latter a coal expert, are keeping the Government closely informed. That is the only thing we can do.

''We shall attempt to bring all the pressure possible to bear on both sides [if a strike is called] to force them to permit mediation by Government-appointed referees. I do not know of anything else that we can do."

The Department of Labor in its July Labor Review gave the trend of anthracite prices in the last 12 years:

JAN. JULY PRICE PRICE YEAR 1913 $7.99 $7.46

1914 7.80 7.60

1915 7.83 7.54

1916 7.93 8.12

1917 9.29 9.08

1918 9.88 9.96

1919 11.51 12.14

1920 12.59 14.28

1921 15.99 14.90

1922 14.98 14.87

1923 15.43 15.10

1924 15.77 15.24

It also gave comparisons of several factors entering into the cost of producing anthracite: 1913 1923 PER TON PER TON

Mine cost $2.23--$2.50 $5.75--$6.32 Labor cost $1.56 (70%) $4.12 (71.1%) Supplies $ . 35 $ .71 General expense $ .32 $ .92

It added that freight charges take from 16c. to 30c. of every dollar the consumer pays for coal.