Strike?

The greatest progress made last week towards the settlement of the controversy between anthracite miners and operators (TIME, July 20 et seq.) was the scratching of seven days off the calendar. The present wage contract in the anthracite industry expires on Aug. 31 and, unless the miners, with their demand for higher wages, and the operators, with their demand for lower wages, reach a compromise by that date, a strike will begin on Sept. 1.

The formal negotiations were broken off a fortnight ago in a deadlock. Last week even informal negotiations between the high contracting parties were dropped; John L. Lewis, leader of the miners, wrote to Samuel D. Warriner, leader of the operators, saying that he did not want to exchange any more opinions unless the operators were willing to abandon their position.

Yet, strangely enough, very little fear was manifested by the public and by public men over the possibility of a strike. President Coolidge had indicated that he would not attempt to intervene unless a strike were called. Governor Pinchot.of Pennsylvania, in whose state practically all anthracite is mined, remarked casually: "I am not doing anything at this time." In short, the impending strike was not taken seriously in informed quarters.

Why ? For two reasons :

1) Because anthracite miners and operators would be endangering their industry by a strike. Soft coal and other substitutes would gain a greater foothold on the market.

2) Because the public is little likely to suffer, with large supplies of anthracite above ground, and plentiful supplies of soft coal and other substitutes available.

Secretary of Labor Davis, who went abroad last month, is expected back on Aug. 25. It is believed that he may unofficially cause negotiations to be resumed.

Last week, the Interstate Commerce Commission denied a petition for a 10% flat reduction on anthracite coal freight rates--something which the miners had asked as an aid to getting their wage increase without cost to consumers. But the Commission did order reductions in the rates on soft coal of the "smokeless," low-volatile variety--one of the substitutes for anthracite.