New-York tribune., 1902-05-13
CONCESSIONS OR A .STRIKE
LOCAL UNIONS so INSTRUCT DELE
GATES TO HAZLETON CONVEN-
TION-COAL FAMINE IMMINENT.

and shorter hours Never in the history of hard
coal mining has tie up been so complete.
Not one OF the 351 coleries In the territory Is
IN operation There is every indication that
the suspension. which was to cover only the
hrst three days of the week. will be made per
manent by the miners general convention
which will meet in Hazleton Wednesday.
Absolute quiet prevailed everywhere to-day
In pursuance Of the request of the district ex-
ecutive boards, which met Jointly at Scranton
last week, all the local unions throughout the
regions met to-day and this evening and elected
delegates to the Hazleton convention. II is sig
nifcant that in every instance where the vote
of a local" made public the ballot showed
a majority for a permanent strike unless the
operators grant concessions Predictions are
made that If 1t be decided Wednesday to
continue the strike the struggle Will be longer
and more bitter than was that of 1900 which
lasted six weeks.
The coal companies have already made prep
arations for a siege. Coal train crews, tele-
graph operators. switchmen, carpenters ma
chinists and other employees, numbering several
thousand. who are not identified with the Mine
Workers Union have been laid off until fur
ther notice. Some of the companies have also
brought their mules to the surface and placed
them in pasture
President Mitchell spent busy day at his
iVe'dpudIl ltIs ne was IN close communication
with all the district leaders. and expressed him
self we'll satisfied with the way the men re-
sponded TO the call for suspension OF work.
He will leave for Hazleton tomorrow afternoon
The general idea that the coal companies have
been storing up coal in the last month. and that
a large supply is now above the surface, is
erroneous The action Of some Of the companies
in giving orders for more economical distribu-
ton Of coal in the way OF sales shows that they
fear shortage at no distant day. The Phila-
delphia and Reading Company, the largest pro-
ducer in the region, to-day refused TO accept
orders from its line and city customers and only
promised to fill tidewater orders if the coal IS
available
INSTRUCTED TO VOTE FOR STRIKE.
Pottsvile. Penn. May u (SpeciaD.-The forty
five thousand miners OF the SchuylkI region
up to last night were regarded as lukewarm by
the outside world on the question of quitting
work to-day. The tie UP. however, is complete
throughout this territory. All the collieries
shut down to-day
Nearly four thousand mine workers, repre-
senting the twenty-one locals OF the United
Mine Workers. and with a membership of 200
In the Mahanoy district, held a Joint meeting
this afternoon. Following an address by Dis
trict Board Member John De Silva. expressions
OF opinion were given by the delegates all of
into a strike unless concessions granted
Similar action taken al the Joint meetings
OF the locals in the St. Nicholas and Frackville
districts. Coaldale local OF the Mine Workers
Union. with one thousand members. elected two
delegates TO the HazletOn convention this after
noon. prominent labor leader in the Panther
Creek Valley, one Of the delegates said that he
and his colleagues were instructed by their
union TO vote for a strike unless concessions
tod
there 1900 miners
Every colliery In the west end OF Schuykill
closed down this morning not a man entering
any of the mines. except the pumpmen en-
gineers and fremen. About three thousand men
and boys are idle. The men held a meeting to-
DAY. when delegates were elected TO attend the
convention to be held at Hazleton The senti-
ment among the rank and file there shows that
If strike order comes IT will be obeyed to the
letter Sentiments similar to the proceedings
quoted above were expressed at all other meet
ings in the Schuykill district
The Reading Railroad Company employs three
thousand men in the coal trade. Many OF these
are already idle. Eastern Pennsylvania indus
tries with the prospect OF having their anthra-
cite supply cut Off clamoring for coal. and
the Reading company is sending two thousand
cars to the soft coal regions In this city the
company has sixty thousand tons piled up for
its own purposes.
NO COAL FOR LOCAL DEALERS
Reading. May II (SpeciaD.-It is probable
that at least two thousand cars will be rushed
into the bitumnous regions during the week
and loaded with soft coal The local coal
dealers Of this city have been notified that they
will get more coal until further notice and
should a strike be ordered on Wednesday all
orders will be cancelled One Of the dealers
said that he had been in communication with
the general Office and had received the above
reply to query as 10 the filing OF orders All
the coal mined last week al the Reading com
pany coleries has been loaded into cars and
the breakers cleared. The greater portion OF
this is at its destination or Is held on
sidings by the company for disposition. Very
little was done at the mines in the last three
days OF the week. and what little coal was
mined has been shipped from the breakers
II is estimated that 800 crews on the Reading
system alone are identified with the anthracite
coal trade. This includes more than one hun
dred locomotives and crews the main line
alone. On the Shamokin division there are
many more because It is on that division that
the coal is collected from the mines. 1t is safe
TO say that nearly three thousand railroaders
on the entire system will be affected by the
shut down. All the engines and crews employed
in the coal trade in the regions were laid off
and Will be out OF work until the mines resume
again.
FOREIGNERS LEAVE THE COUNTRY.
Hazleton. May 12.-That the miners expect
a permanent declaration at Wednesdays con-
vention is shown by the hundreds of applica-
tions made by them for work a trolley
operation here. for which up TO
this time q sufficient number of hands could not
be secured. The fear OF strike is most pro-
rounced among the foreigners. large numbers
~ whom have left here 70 their native lands