THE SABOTAGE OF TIME
In his address at the opening of the Chicago Pageant of Progress, Postmaster General Work made a forcible presentation of the basic evil of the coal mining industry. It is an evil that everybody recognizes and yet nothing effective is done about it. As Dr. Work says, there are about twice as many coal miners in the United States as are needed to perform the work of getting out the nation's supply of coal. There are also very many more operating coal mines than the country needs. The result is that the miners ordinarily work only about half the time. Through an union—a union—the most powerful which causes its membership dues to be collected by the employers out of the wages of the men—they demand a living wage for half-time work, says an exchange.
"The sabotage of time by the idle under pay," says Dr. Work, "and of property entrusted to them, must be added to the cost price of any product." And the price is paid by the consumers. And the consumers in most instances are themselves wage earners who work steadily through the year to earn a living. A large percentage of the striking mine workers are not needed in the coal mining industry on any terms. There are industries where this surplus labor that now will neither mine coal nor let anybody else do so might be employed at good wages the year around. Thus the rest of the miners might have steady employment mining coal. 