Evening Star Newspaper, May 18, 1924, Page 32

CHEAPER SOFT COAL APPROACHING IN U. S.| Operators’ Efforts to Revise Wage Scale in Union Fields Responsible. INDUSTRY IS IN Mine Workers Also Dissatisfied | With Scant Work. PERIL . | BY HARDEN COLFAX. | Cheaper bituminous coal segms on the way as the result of elrorts to re- vise the wage scale in the union fields. Although the wage agreement <igned last winter at Jacksonville remains in effect for three years, un- jess revised, and thereby precludes a strike. there is & growing sentiment Among union operators that the time s at hand when wages must be low- ered if the industry is to survive the competition of the non<union pro- ducers. Within the next few weeks a meet- ing probably will be held with min- ers’ officials to discuss the situation Although union officials ~ pooh-pooh the talk of wage reduction, the rank and file of mine workers is dissatis- fied with the scant working time which now prevails in the union fields. In the non-union field, where wages are much lower, more steady employment is assured, it is asserted, and average pay, month in and month out, is greater than in the central competitive field. As a result of the scales, coal can be produced more cheaply in the non-union fields of West Virginia and Penrnsylvania than in the great fields of lllinois, Indiana and Ohio. These non-union fields are thereby enabled to underbid their union competitors and are getting much of the business. Spiral like, this enables the non-union operators to give more steady employment and Pay out higher wages during the course of a month than the union mines, although the latter's scale is khigher. Industry im Despondency. Here in Illinois the soft coal in- dustry is deep in the mire of de- spondency. Hundreds of mines are closed all over the state and the rela- tive few which remain in operation are running, for the most part, on the basis of half time or less. Thou- sands of men are out of employ- ment in the coal fields here, out of funds and without prospects for bet- ier conditions before fall, if then lowet wage These men are turning 1o other work | 4 only to find that there is little other Work which they are fitted to do and that there is little demand for their service The employment situatfon in the Tllinois-Indiana-Ohio fields is more acute today than it has been within * a decade. © As_a result, the union is reported to have lost many mem- bers. In the unionized fields of West Virginia the situation is reported even worse. Twenty-five thousand union miners are reported to have left the organization in West Virginia to B0 into the non-union fields nearby and dig coal More than that, the southern Illi- nois coal fields are having hard sled- ding for another reason. The manu- facturers of Tllinois have not forgot- ten the Herrin affair, where strike- breakers met a bloody and violent death during the 1821 strike. Wil- liamson County coal has been a drug on the market ever since that day. The result is almost undisturbed idleness in Williamson, so far as coal | mining is concerned. Herrin's chick- ens have come home to roost. Eleven million tons of bituminous coal lie at the lake docks, or are in transit there, awaiting shipment to the northwest. Although the season has been open less than a month, more than half of the supply has been dumped. Mining this coal has fur- nished employment to some union mines, but these mines are eating their cake fast. And_non-union coal is flowing from West Virginia steadily to the lakes in_ increasing Yolum< The reason is that the price 1o lower. { And the reason for that, on operators agree, i s 2uion aniy gree, is that wages Cause of Wage Revision Move. Hence the movement for a revision in union wakes. Nobody in Tlinois, where the union reigns supreme, or In other union flelds expects a lower Wwage scale to result in a larger de- mand for coal. But the opinion is unantimous among union miners that a lower scale would distribute the scanty orders more evenly among the union and non-union flelds. As it is Now, the non-union flelds seem to have ajl the best of it Coal production, normally at an verage: of from 9,000,000 to 10,000, 000 toms weekly, is down to about 000,000 and is expected to drop to .000,0000 The country is stocked up with caal, there being more than 0,000,000 tons in consumers’ bins, ac- cording to careful estimates. There is virtually no market for union coal and 400,000 union miners face a elack season, when conditions will be likely to gTow worse inatead of better for another four months. The Industry {is overmanned, of ocourse, as the government has pointed out time and again, but who is to zet out, what mines are to close down permanently and what men are to go off the pay roll forever—these are questioms that haven't yet been solved. It begins to 1ook now, how- ever, as if there would bs a solution before long to the high price of coal. Mrs. Tasker Lowndes Oddie, wife of the senator from Nevada, is a native duughter of Los Angeles, and her memory goes back to the days when it was a quiet vil- lage, dozing in the sunshine of a southern sex. And | she is quite u| young woman, | too, and is natu- | rally deeply grat- ified in the strides which the City of the Angels has in the civic vada only sinde her marriage MRS. ODDIE. ha that state warm tions. Since coming to Was she has also found much pleasure in going over the ground identified with her husband's family and tracing the fa: history of its several into her ting nches enator Oddie. though _ born in Brooklyn. N. Y., comes_on both sides | of his family from the District of Co- lumbia. He is the grandson once re- moved from Benjamin Stoddert, first | cretary of the Navy, and twice from | Christopher Lowndes of Rladensburg, founder of the house which has fur- nished Maryland *with statesmen and merchant princes e u half century before the American war of in pendence. Christopher Lowndes mar- ried Rebecca Tasker, daughter of one of Maryland's last royal governors. | Benjamin Tasker and the senator | from Nevada has been named to hon or two of his revered ancestors. TH Gov. Tasker was the brother-in-law executive of the pal- atinate of Maryland, Thomas Bladen, who founded the sleepy old village of /ladensburg, just across the District | hree years ago, collected much of the personal property of her dis- tinguished in-laws, and her home is filled with splendid old mahogany and silver plate which once figured in Maryland's royal gubernatorial man- ons and in the fine old mansion which Benjamin Latrobe built for Stoddert in Prospect street, George- town. Benjamin Stoddert married Christopher Lowndes' daughter, Re- becca, and was associated with father-in-law in the shipping busi- ness in Bladensburg and Georgetown Mrs. Oddie has zealously foregathered all relatives of this fine old line and there have been many reunions since their kinsman became a national leg- islator. Mrs. Oddie is active in the jal way and is recording secretary | of the Senatorial Women's Club. flated since the war. Its wages stand today at the peak; and, ironically, at a time when there is no work to do Operators hope to have union lead- ers see this situation as they see it In this emergency operators and min- ers are in the samae boat, many oper- ators feel, and unless something is done fairly soon to improve condi- | tions in the union felds it won't mat- ter whether wages are $10 a day or $20, for the non-union flelds will have run away with the market. The soft coal operators meet soon at Cincinnati in annual convention, and, although the question of wages is not down for formal discussion, (n- dications are that the meeting will he followed shortly by formal over- | tues to union leaders to meet to discuss wages. Economic stress, it is thought, may accomplish what the operators failed to do in resisting a five-month _ strike recently—bring down the price of coal If You Want Help of Any Sort —expert or otherwise— a Star Classifred Ad will put you in touch with those who are looking for a position. The Star Classified Section is a veritable “market place”— those with wants will mect those who can sup- The coal industry alone has not de- le \feel a”litt America - THE MUNSEY TRUST CO. MONSEY BLOG, WASHINSTON, D.C. o cantn, apvem, e 3% 4% lathrest on erdisary savisgs accounts— - < compounded guar- 2% accounts on dally «d moathly. iy, . Every Day Is Interest Day The Munsey Trust Co. ply them. The Star prints MORE Classified Ads every day-than all the other papers- com- bined — just because they reach so nearly everybody. “Around the Corner” Is Star Branch Office to all g?: tor qvglulinblo YOUNG DEMOCRATS WIN |sr " RECOGNITION BY PARTY League With Branches in Eight “Doubtful States” to Launch - fiAl o et R ey ) e P— » — P e e e ek e T g Munsey Building Pa. Ave., Bet. 13th and 14th Sts. N.W. THE formally installed as an auxiliary of party, when the national Demo- cratic committee’s subcommittee on convention arrangements , approved the organization and to share headquarters with it during the June conclave at Madison Square Garden. Guy S. Woodward =~ of Okmulgee, Okla, who heads the league, an- nounced after a conference with th subcommittee that, tions _al completed doubtful” sfates in the Mississip; Valley, the process of federating ng Democrats today was | would begin at once. vemb Federating Plan. her s Tea Wagon Finished in mahogany; an attractive and practi- Mahogany top, size 36x cal piece of furniture; | 36 perfect in every de- Aropleat sidess = tail; has drawer in_ side. Gateleg Table Duofold Krochler make, fin- ished in golden oak, and upholstered in $37.75 imitation Semi-Vanity Finishel in walnut or mahogany: Tudor design; excellent msh,$29.50 Library Table esigns in_an- gany finish; i $15.75 Handsome Queen Anne period buffets of quar- -sawed oak or Amer- ican wainut: 00 §50 ()() inches long. ... Choice tique mah inches dull rubbes fintsh plate glass mirrors . Kitchen Table Porcelain _top; white enamel finish base, with ;-]pr::vvr for e $5.95 Kitchen Cabinet The most modern type: with porcelain sliding oak-finish _cabinet; your budget. ‘Headquarters to vention time will Waldorf-Astoria, He also announced plans for a mem- D copnection bring other sf fore " the pres Dr. Floren: elected presiden ricas A soclation of Anatomists, is the fitst of to head 4hat body. serve until con- be_opened at the . Woodward said. ,,in New York state, ""l'.h ;‘l.arm o2 & into the ‘leagne be- tial election 1o No- Trial at SRR e Refrigerators A new shipment of the most de- sirable style and sizes of the famous quality Gibson make—makers of food preservers. Tested and approved by the Good Housekeeping Magazine Gibson Gibson Refrigerator 3-door; white enam- el interior; 35 Ibs. ice | porcelain lined; 5 capacity— ice capacity— 5192 The Wright Co. liberal credit plan enables you to open a charge account without overbalancing Special Dispateh to The Star. BALTTMORE, Md., Dorothy R. Fhillips of Washington, 36 SUNDAY' STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MAY 18 1924 PART 1. AIRMAN’S WIDOW GETS $17,000 FOR ACCIDENT Mrs. Wendell K. Phillips Awarded Better Verdict' in. Second whose husband, Lieut. Wendell K. | while Mrs. Phillips was on her Phillips, was killed in an airpl c{way to Washington to attend the accident at Aberdeen, last June, was |funieral of her husband., . awarded $17,000 damages by a jury in | Eod i superior court . yesterday in her suit ” '.g:lnn n.:J Imlmlny s;,nr.:n Company He Seldom Rides. of person: injuries. n the first trial the jury gave a verdict for $12,500, | "o the Boston Transcript. which was later set asido by the court| obbs—How do vou chauffeur? Dobbs—I don't knmow anything about him personally, but my vwire and a new trial ordered. Mra. Phillips was injured in a col- and daughter tell me he drives my car very well like your ‘Baltimore. lision between the automoblle in which she was riding and a truck of the storage company. The aceldent occurred -on the Belalr road, May 17.—Mrs. High Chair Oak - finished Hlgh Chair, with large tray; solid and rigidly constructed. .. Poster Bed Cclonial four - poster bed, in dull mahogany; a most attractive value at this low Refrigerator 3-door; all one- iece 1bs. = Chifforobe Golden oak finish; de- signed with roomy cloth- ing comvan-. $21.50 Wing Rockers Combination of open- mesh cane and mahogany {rames. A popular type of rocker for @17 Q5 any room .... A splendid design; mad in American walnut; gen- crous wize with §35°0)) plate mirror ment and drawers Da O try: a large davenport: spring co struction enport ed,” in tapes- and comfy - $88.50 | Don’t miss reading a rY single item in this unusual announcement. You save money on anything you select. . 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