AMERICAN COALMINES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19062, 6 July 1925, Page 9

AMERICAN COALMINES.

DISPUTE ABOUT WAGES. GENERAL STRIKE THREAT. MUCH NON-UNION LABOUR. I3y Telecraph—Press Association —Copyricht. (Received 5.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z. NEW YORK, July 3. A message from Scranton, Pennsylvania, says that the Anthracite Miners' Convention, which is sitting there, has demanded alO per cent, increase in wages. The mineowners aro expected to insist on a rcduc-, tion of the present scale at tho series of conferences between tho two groups scheduled to take placo in July, in an attempt to effect an agreement beforo when a new schedule will be necessary. Mr. John Lewis, international president of tho United Mineworkers, has threatened a general strike of 500,000 anthracite and bituminous mineworkers if the owners continue to increase the employment of non-union labour. . Tho union has been virtually driven out of West Virginia, where union-pro-duced coal now amounts to only 10 per cent, of tho total, compared with 90 per cent, five years ago. The owners contended that it was impossible to operate the mines under a wages rate of 7| dollars a day, which is the union scale, and closed tho pits. These wero reopened a few weeks later with a non-union scale of wages of between four and fivo dollars a day. Since then tho owners in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky have acted similarly. Tho union leaders contend that this is a concerted effort to kill their organisation throughout tho country. Government officials fear there is a possibility of a completo lack of fuel in the coming winter.