New Britain Herald Newspaper, March 24, 1923, Page 13

NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD,”/ SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1923, WOULD FORCE COAL OPERATORS TO COMPETE, THUS Worried About Your Next Winter’s Coal? Then Read Roger Babson’s Sug- gestion for Fuel Troubles. (Quoted Locally Only by The Herald), Wellesley Hills, Mass,, March 28— Roger W, Babson, statisticlan and business authority, has some very de- tided views on the ‘coal situation— and he has a-solution, "Within another week the coal famine should be over, If the weath- er runs according to the almanac, everyorld. will be able to get all the coal” he needs after April 1st.” Must Be Settled Now. But {s the coal problem settled? “Decldedly not,” says Roger W. Bab- son, the statistician who demands that the coal problem be solved this spring when It can be solved and that we do not walit until next win- ter when it will be too late t’ do any- TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF COAL STRIKES Year 1897 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 Famine Records above are representative, although not entirely complete. thing but rush around feverishly to try to get eno@gh coal to tide us through the zero weather. i “We are a lot ke the man ‘who had a leak in his roof,” says Mr. Babson. . “When it wasnit raining it didn't need fixing. When it was rain- ing he couldn't fix it. As asresult we have repeated tie-ups; in the spring;' scare talk by the coal dealers; in the summer, strikes; and in the winter, the actual shortage. ‘The attached table wil Igive®you a picture of the. situation as it is. You will note that there hasn’t been a single year in which strikes and lockouts have not caused Joss in coal préduction which meant Higher. costs to. the consumer. | New: Strike Threatens, “It now looks as though: history were golng-to repeat itself again, We are threatenéd” with _apother coal strike this spring. ] “If it is allowed to go into effect, it wily spell @nother shortage and more suffering next year. *“Six such serlous tie-ups in the last 160,000 131,973 20,5693 200,452 47,481 77,661 37,642 872,343 32,640 145,145 25,634 218,493 41,413 811,056 135,395 161,720 67,190 170,633 160,240 79,395 446,436 276,841 103,301 618,630 PROTECTING PUBLIC twenty-five years are a plenty and it solution of the probfem by analyzing the cause of these several ups, In studying them( I find that they are surprisingly allke, In each case min- ers and operators have had what they thought was a real grievance and real difference, In each case the government has attempted to deal with the problem by appointing a commission, i From 1807 to 1922, “In 1897 public sympathy was ly with the miners who had a Just grievance, As we get down to 1922, however, we find the miners becoming quite able to take care of themselves. There is little cholce be- tween the minors and operators as to which was the aggrieved and which the aggresdor. Both now have pow- erful fighting machines and both ap- parently are actuated by the same motive—to get all they can for them- selves and to give as little as they can, The third party in argument, the great consuming public, has not done so very well, In every single instance on record it has taken most of the beating and has meekly ap- Total Av. No. of Working Days Lost Days Lost Per Man No. of Men on Strike 4,878,102 183.302. 16,672,217 1,341,031 3,382,830 796,785 19,201,348 462,392 5,449,938 731,660 19,250,524 983,737 12,627,305 3,049,412 11,013,667 2,467,431 3,344,586 20 2,348,309 15 508,626 6 16,603,567 35 11,849,660 43 3,032,101 29 86,218,090 139 37 .35 83 28 4“4 21 52 14 38 29 §8 24 40 23 68 37 | pointed a commission to patch up ! the quarrel between the other two ;'fiaruos‘ After being mauled and bled| !and robbed by a half dozen operators| ,and a few thousand miners, the hun- j dred million consumers have begged |congreas to appoint a commission, | i simply because the thing always had been done and it is assumed, thereof,| J that it must always be done. | Nothing Accomplished. ! “I personally do not know much | about what went on inside the com- mission meetings. One can only judge by results, and it is evident | that little or nothing has been ac- complished. “In 1897, for instance, a compro- | mise was made between operator and miner, on September 3. Wages were jincreased 20 per cent and miners and operators agréed to meet in January 11898 for the purpose of forming a wage scale and making an annual | contract. The strike was very suc- | cessful from the miners’ point ot | view. ACOnnectionof Real Valueto the_Business Jpresident's appeal “In 1902 through the mediation of President Roosevelt the strike was settled on Octoher 23, with the un, derstanding that questions in dispute would be submitted to a commis. #lon, A 10 per cent. increase in wages and a reduction of hours were granted to the miners, “In@906 the strike was finally set- tled .through agreement hetween operators and miners themaselves, Not through a third party, 800,000 Quit in 1910, “On April 1, 1010, 300,000 miners went out, The agreemepts were sub- mitted to the miners and rejected, The strike was finally settled on Sep- tember 8 of that year. A slight in- creaso wps granted and cetrain other concessions, The miners’ union paid out $674,000 in strike benefits and mines were idle from April 1 to Au- gust 8, “A conference was called on Octo- ber 16, 1919, in an effort to prevent a strike, but the operators refused to negotlate as long as the strike order was In force. The miners’ contract which really did not expire until April, 1920, was disregarded, The to the strikers failed. 'The attorney general igsued an order restraining union officials from putting the strike into effect. This falled. An injunction demand- ed that the officers rescind the strike order, the order was rescinded but the miners went on strike November 1, just the same. On December 10 an offer from the president direct to the miners granted 14 per cent im- mediate increase and question of fur- ther increase to be determined by the commission. “The story from the public's paint of view: has: been the same in /-all these cases, exorbitant prices, poor quality, suffering and no end of in- convenience. A No Important Results, “After studying this record, and after having shivered through a fire- less winter, one may feel a little skep- tical as to what our present coal commission is going to accomplish. 8o far it seems to be running true to form. Last September a commission was appointed by the president to in- vestigate and find all the facts that would have a bearing on the solution of the coal problem. In a report to congress on January 16th of this year, it took care not to commit it- self to any definite recommendations. It did find that one fundamental cause for instability in bituminous coal mining was surplus of both mines and miners. + “The other findings of the com- mission indicate that it 1is really analyzing the problem, but it looks as though it must suffer the fate of most such commissions. Now: there are three of us in this coal problem. Both miners and operators. have been loud in pro- claiming their rights and in demand- ing that their particular pet schemes be enforced. 1 should like to pro- pose a platform for the most impor- tan member of this argument—the general public. Operators Are in Safe Way. “The operators’ arguments boil down to the contents of the present method. It is apparently just as profitable to do business half of the year at twice the profit and take a vacation for the other six months as it is to work the year round at a .normal profit. “The miners’ plan is ingenious and well- calculated insofar as the wel- fare of the miner is concerned. They would have the goevrnment buy all the toal mines at a figure which they set at $4,5600,000,000 and would then have the government carry on opera- tions and sell coal to the public. The scheme'involves much machinery for selentific determination of costs, price fixings, and similar other activities, Mine wages would become a political Issue which’ would be very fine for the miners, In addition to this fact, such a plan would eliminate compe- tition and all necessity for progress and economy In the industry, Coal, to be sure, might be sold to the pub. e at a lower price, only to leave & huge deficit which must be made up in increased taxes, In the final accounting it probably would cost you and 1 just as much or more than it does at present. No government can operate a business as efficiently as a private owner, Hence, from the consumers' standpoint, the proposi- tion to have the people buy the coal mines is not attractive, They already have had enough of government operation In connection with the railroads, the bullding and operation of ships, and the various other inter- ests In which the government took & hand during the war, Thg Problem “What the consumer is intercsted in is getting coal at a fair price when ke needs it Everyone who has studied the coal problem will agree that the seat of the trouble lies in the fact that competition has been squeezed out of the industry, The reason-all of these troubles arise is because the natural lows which gov- orn other lines of business have been blocked. On the one hand they have been thwarted through the organiza- tion of labor; on the other hand by the combination of th@owners. This, moreover, is the principal argument against government purchase of the | coal mines, for such'a plan instead of increasing competition would bar it out entirely. The real problem, therefore, is to employ government authority only so far as it is neces- sary to make the industry subject to economic laws,~the law of supply and demand, and the law of com- petition, The Public’s Solution “How then can we put competition into the coal business? The first step must be to secure from the govern- ment a commission or board which will have the authority to act as a referee for the public in all argu- ments arisingwithin ‘theindustry, It must be empowered by the federal government to enforce its rulings. As a second step, the mines should be divided into two parts which will be approximately equal as far as their producing capacity ‘is' concerned. Then by public decree, if you please, let the mines in one half be operated as union mines under a closed shop agreement, but let the mines in the other half be kept on an open shop basis. Then let the two groups show by their own operation which plan is the better. “The operators claim that the more efficient ‘mines are the open shop mines, whereas the miners claim that the most efficient plan is the closed shop and the tight union. The pub- lic does not know which is right, but it does know that when either group gecures complete control it becomes inefficient, careless, ~and arrogant. So long as there is real and fair com- petition, both sides a rekept on their toes. If it is really true that the open shop plan is more efficient than the closed shop, then the open shop mines will gradually get the greater part of the country’s business. The same will be true if the miners can demonstrate that their plan is 4th(\ better. . “An Interstate Commerce Commis- sion has helped greatly in solving our transportation problems and lm‘aurlng seryice for the public. A similar body as ‘referee’ with power to en- force its rulings would do much to insure real competition and, therefore, good service in.the coal industry.” WAL STREET STOCK EXCHANGE REPORTS Wall 8troet—Short Interests con- tinued to force recessions in prices in today's market, BSugars proved vul- nerable to selling pressure in view of the government investigation of sugar prices, Marked heaviness also was shown by the motor and motor acs cessary groups. losses of from 2 to 3% points were registered by Btewart Warner, General Asphalt, Cuba Cane pfd, and Cuban-American sugars, In- dependent strength was shown how- ever by a few issues notably Beech- nut Package which crossed 79 1.4 a new high record for the year and Californla Pet.” which moved up a point in the face of heaviness in other olls, The closing was heavy. proximated 650,000 shares. High Low Am Bt Sugar .., 44% 43% Am Can ......,100% 983 Am Cr & Fdy .181% 181% Am Cotton Oil . 15% 15 Am Loco ......134 122 % Am Sm & Ref .. 656% 64% Am Sug Ref com 70% 78% Am Tel & Tel ., ,122% ° 122% Am Tob 164% 154% Am Wool ......105% 104% An Copper .... b1} 503 Atch Top & 8 F108% 1031 |At Guif & W T . 30% 30 | Rald Loco .. 39% 139% | Balt & Ohio ... 54 Beth Steel B .. 68 Can Pacific 148 Cent Leath Co . 37% Chi, Mil & St Pl 24% Chi Rock Isl & P 3614 Chile Copper ... 28% Chino Copper .. 20% Con Gas . 673 Corn Prod Ref .129% Cructble Steel .. 811 Cuba Cane Sugar 171 Endicott-John .. 75% 10h L A 12% Erfe 1st pfd Gen Electric Gen Motors . Goodrick BF Gt North pfd . Insp Copper ... Int Mer Mar pfd Allis-Chalmers Pacific Oil Int Nickel Int Paper .. H Kelly Spring Tire Kennecott Cop.. Lehigh Valley .. Middle States Oil Midvale Steel .. Missouri Pacific N Y Central .. INYNH&H 10% Norfolk & West 1121 North Pacific .. 78 Pure Ofl ...... 29% Pan Am P & T 79% Penn R R 46% Pierce Arrow .. 13% Ray Con Cop .. 15% Reading . ..... 114 Rep I & S .... 643 Royal D, N Y .. 50% Sinclair Oil Ref 37y South Pacific .. 92% South Rail .... 3414 | Studebaker Co 1221 | Texas Co 51 Texas & Pacific 273 Tobacco Prod .. 845 Trans Ofl ..... 12% Union Pacific ...141% United Fruit ...178 United Re St .. 8§1% 1" S Food Prod 51 |1° 8 Tndus Alco 70% {U 'S Rubber Co- 63 it Steel 7 Utah Copper . Willys - Overland - Gulf States Steel 99% Sales ap- Close 44 981 181% 15% 133% 64% 7814 122% 154% 105% b1 103% 30% 139% 53% 19 112% 7% 29% 79 46y 1214 151 P 61% 503 363 9215 333 121% 507% 27 83% 1285 141 177 80y 5% 70% 62% 10654 72 % 9814 7% 29 78% 461 12% 1514 77 61% 5015 36% 921 33% 12184 50% 27 82% 12% 141 177 801 5% 69% 62% 1063 724 7% 975 (Putnam: & Co.) Bid 707 Asked 715 574 | 50 160 12 20 14 27 115 78 Aetna Life Ins Co .. Am Hardware ........ 56 Am Hosiery e 44 Bige-Hfd Cpt Co com..155 Billings & Spencer ecm. 9 Billings & Spencer pfd. 15 Bristol Brass w11 Colt's Arms .... . 25% Conn It & Pow pfd..113 Eagle Lock 75 Fafnir Bearing Co Hart & Cooley Hartford Elec Light Landers Frary & Clark. J. R. Montgomery com.. ) 80 $ 168 70 100 PUTNAM & CO. Members New York Stock FExchange Members Hartford Stock Exchange (Successors w Stanley K. Fddy, Manager We Offer Richter & Co.) 81 West Main St., Tel. 2040 a0 Hartford Electric Light DD L JU & Members New York Stock Exchange MEMBERS HARTFORD STOCK EXCHANGE HARTFORD: Hartford - Conn, Trust Bldg., 28 West Main St, Tel. 1815, NEW BRITAL We O-ffer and Recomme AMERICAN Tel, 3-6320 nd: HARDWARE LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK TORRINGTON CO. Prices on Application, - Thomson, Tenn & Co. NEW BRITAIN New Britain National Bank Bldg. Telephone 2580 Members Hartford Stock Exchange HARTFORD 10 Central Row Telephone 2-4141 Members New York Stock Exchange Donald R. Hart, Manager We Offer: NORTH & JUDD STANLEY WORKS LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK Price On We Don’t Accept JOHN P Application Margin Accounts . KEOGH Member Consolidated Stock Exchange of New York Waterbury Danbury Middletown STOCKS BONDS Bridgeport | New Haven Direct Private Wire to New York. . G, F. GROFF, Mgr.—Room 509, N. B. Nat'l Bank Bldg.—Tel. 1013 The Hartford-Connecticut Trust Company Old State House Square, Hartford, Conn. Safe Deposit Boxes, $5.00 and upwards. Foreign Exchange to LETTERS OF CREDIT all parts of the world. — GENERAL BANKING Bank by mail. It is safe arfd saves time. ITE SELEGTED FOR NEW WOMEN'S HOME! \Charity Commissioners Discuss o 70,000 Building at Town Farm The members of the hoard of pub- J R Montgomery pfd.. lic charities yesterday atternoon paid| m the front of the men's buillding, A door will be broken through the wall at the second floor and the Inmates will have the use of the sun for al- most the entire day. Several of the commissioners exe pressed their disapproval of the ap- | pearance of the present building, say- ing that it reminded one too much a cotton mill building. The front s as plain as is possible, without any | changes from the cellar to the ro8t | in the looks of the red brick, and the roof comes to a slight peak to make sufficient pitch to allow rain to flow loff on either side. The wooden building used fop house 4 B T RS New Britain Gas 38 |a visit to the town home and decided | the women is in a dilapidatedf condi- New Britain Machine .. 4 Mén who have learned to make sure-footed progress in their fi- nancial affairs, know that the services, through with a strong available established to them relations reliable banking house, are indispensable. A Bank connection with this Insti- tution will prove profitable to you. The Burritt Savings Bank is growing rapidly to be one of the most Popular Savings Institutions in New Britain. _Have you noticed how many of your friends keep their savings here, and they get 4159 nterest, too. Open Saturday' evenings for your convenience. Will you start your account here! |indicted in New York. |on their arrival belonged to her be- New Brit Machine pfd Niles-Bement-Pond cm. North & Judd Peck Stow & Wilcox Russell Mfg Co Scovill Mfg Co Southern N E Standard Screw Stanley Works .. Stanley Works pfd Torrington Co com Traut & Hine Travelers Ins Co . Union Mfg Co .. . TISBO WEEPS IN JAIL New York Banker Held in Italy, Pro- tests He Is Innocent of Any Wrong Doing in America Naples, March 24 (By the Asso-| ciated Press)——I'rancesco Tisbo, New York steamship ticket agent and banker, who was arrested here when | he arrived with his wife on the| steamer Taormina from New York]| Thursday burst into tears when in-| terrogated in the prison today. He | declared himgelf innocent of the grand larceny charges on which he has been ed for women's quarters will be| built on the north*side of the present! administration building and will be connected to the administration build- ing by a passageway similar to the one which now connects the admin- istration building and the men’s quar- ters. They also decided that a new chicken coop, measuring about 45 by 20 feet, should be built on the cast side of the ice house. Those present on the trip, which | | was made in Superintendent William C. Cowlishaw's new auto, were Chair- man Willlam F. Mangan, and com- missioners Matthew Meskill, Rev. J. . Klingberg and William O'Brien, It is planned to ercct a building which will compare favorably with |any of the sort in the state of Con- neeticut. It will accommodate 40 beas, an infirn v, and two or three private rooms for sick patients, a chil- dren's dormitory and a playroom. An appropriation of $70,000 has already been made by the city for the new building and the charity commission intends to have plans for it submitted in the near future Present Women's Quarters Must Go, Scveral changes are also being con- templated on. the grounds surround- | ing the town home. It is planned, al- though nothing definite has been de- cided upon, to make a circular drive- | way leading from two sides to . the fore she went to America and were | front of the administration building not purchased with money that had|The present quarters for the women | been deposited in the Tisbo bank. jwm be torn down, and a new drive-| S way will be made leading from the 10 PER CENT INCREASE. road sonuth of the men’s building to | Pentacook, N. H, March 2 he | join the road leading”to Rocky Hilt Harris-Emery Co., manufacturers of | ganitatium in the rear. woolen goods, has granted 10 per| ft is planned, also, at some future cent increase in wages effective at|jate, providing that cnough money is once. available, to erect a large veranda in THE' HERALD The A-B-C Paper with the A-B-C Want Ads 45 521 35 88 170 133 | 193 | 63 | 29 45 15 718 46 Mrs| Tisbo who also is being de-| tained, told the authorities that the! jewels found in the couple’s baggage | 102 Linwood Street hhzl! the new building which is to be|tion and when the commissioners in- 8 spected it, they were unanimous in aying that the sooner the new quar- ters can be erected, the better for all concerned, The chicken coop contemplated will be started immediately in order tit when the sprink work is begun in the next tew weeks, there will be no in- terruption. It will be about 45 by 20 feet and will have a runway in front extending about 50 feet with wire stretched around to make an en- closure, It is planned to house about 200 hens there. The commission will hold a special meeting In the office of the superin- tendent Monday evening at 5 o'clock, LIEUT. DUDL RESIGNS. Hartford, March 24.—The resigna- tion of Second Licut. Howard E. Dud- ley, battery A, 178rd field artillery, has been accepted in orders from the adjutant general's office today. Major William H. Welch, cavalry, C. N. G, is assigned to duty with and in com- mand of the first squadron cavalry C. N. G. from March 16. MADE oF ¢ . iy NSO TELY hTEeL A WIATRIFLE MORE THAN WOODEN BOXEE Delivered onywiwre at shand nobice Tel IN}-! — ASHES AND RUBBISH REMOVED — THE MAGUIRE CO. New Britain