RADIO ADDRESS   _ s'rA¤‘1¤¤ Willis
BY " " JULY 9, 1932
R9`V• Ce Ee VOSB].
Harlan, Kentucgy 6¢50·6:45 P.M.
I. QUESTION: Mr. Vogel, we have heard m eh of Harlan County?`Where is
Harlan County?
ANSWER: Harlan County is in the Southeastern tip of the State of
Kentucky, and can be reached by the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad, or by concrete road from U.S. Highway Number 25.
The County is about 13 miles wide and 35 miles long, comprising
484.5|aiquare miles or about 510,118.4 acres. It has a pop-
‘ ulation of 64,557.
2. QUESTION: Is it true that visitors from outside the county and state are
not welcome in Harlan County?
ANSWER: Only publicity seekers, agitators, extreme radicals and communists
are not made welcome in Harlan County. we have many visitors
from many places and all are treated with the greatest courtesy
and kindness. It is especially true that those who have any
desire to help in any way receive the utmest cooperation from
the citizens of the county. »
5. QUESTION: Is the strike still in progress in Harlan County?
ANSWERE: There is not now, nor has there been in the past two years, a
strike in Harlan County. Last spring the United Mine Workers
of America made an effort to organize the County. But organ-
izerx failed to get a sufficient number of members to gain
recognition by the National Organization.
4. QUESTION: Is it true that Communists have been active in Harlan County?
and what is the attitude of your people toward that activity?
ANSWER: Upon the failure of the United Mine Workers of America to organ-
ize the field, both the I;W.W. and the Com unist Organization
known as the National Miners Union came into the County to
organize. Many unemployed and some miners who had jobs, also
joined these organizations. But it must be said in all fairness
to truth, — that there never was a time in the past two years
that the operators of Harlan County did not have more men avail-
able clamoring for jobs, than they could use. The appeal to
force, and the use of arms to gain their ends, has been highly
objectionable to the rank and file of the County*s population.
5. QUESTION: What are the reasons given by the operators of the Harlan fields,
why they do not favor organized labor?
ANSWER: First, the freight differential which has been put upon the
Harlan field by the Interstate Commerce Commission. I am in-
formed that Harlan operators must pay from 10 to 35 cents per
ton more freight than other fields. For example, if the opera-
tors in the Ohio and Pennsylvania fields must pay $2.40 per ton
to ship coal to Toledo it would cost the Harlan operators $2.75
up per ton. To-any of the Eastern markets Harlan must pay from
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