The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-06-11
OPERATORS OPPOSED
 TO GENERAL SCALE
Give that as Reason for not Attending Conference at Invitation of
 President Mitchell.

New York June 10.-The presidents of the coal roads affected by the strike of the miners made public today letters and telegrams which have passed between the operators and President Mitchell and other representatives of the United Mine Workers.
 The letters of the operators were in answer to invitations from President Mitchell to the operators to send rep resentatives to joint conference of the operators and miners on March 12 at Scranton, Pa., in order to arrange a wage scale for the year beginning April l, 1902 and ending March 31 1903.
 All the replies were of a similar char acter, declining to take part in the con- ference on the ground that 1t was inn practicable to arrange a scale for the entire anthracite region; that each com pany desired to deal with its employees direct; that 1t was not deemed advisable to have the relations between the mine owners and workmen disturbed every year, and that the Mine Workers organ ization has caused a depreciation In the quantity of work produced per man as well as dissatisfaction among employees. Then follows a history of the strike be- between the Shamokin convention of May 8 and the propositions given by President E. R. Thomas of the Erie, which are un- derstood to have been the basis of the first conference of the coal presidents, the mine workers and the Civic Federa- tion, providing that the anthracite com panies shall not discriminate against the members of the mine workers organiza- ton; that the members of the organiza- ton shall not refuse to work with non- members of such an association; that there shall be no deterioration in the quality or quantity of the work and that there shall be no effort to restrict the in- diyidual exertions of the men; and that each mine must settle individually any grievances that may arise. The first sd- iournment for thirty days, and the two futile and final discussions between the operators and the mine workers are mem Honed This Is followed by the dispatch of President Mitchell to the operators, dated May 8, asking that the operators agree to the appointment of a committee of five of the industrial branch of the Ma tional Civic Federation to arbitrate and decide all questions in dispute. The re- fusal of the operators to agree to this proposition concludes the list of the com munications.
 No Change at WiIkesbarre.
 Wilkesbarre, Pa., June 10-National President Mitchell of the Mine Workers Union, who went to New York yesterday to meet Carroll D. Wright, United States commissioner of labor, did not return to strike headquarters here until nearly mid night tonight. In his absence nothing was given out regarding the anthracite strike in this state or the soft coal sus- pension in Virginia and West Virginia. There is no change in the situation in this region from either the viewpoint of the miner or the operator.
 Mines Tied Up.
 Thurmond, w. Va, June 10.-The strik- CTS succeeded today fin tying up almost every operation in the New River district. Not one hundred miners out of 6000 were at work on Loup Creek and not single car of coal has been sent down that branch today All the Chesapeake and