The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-22
MINERS AND OPERATORS
 WILL COME TOGETHER
Will Attempt to Settle the Existing Differences Out
 side of Arbitration Commission Ap- pointed by the President.

spondent of the Associated Press that all the large companies have not yet as- sented to the proposed outside agree ment, but that in all probability they will consent and continue to work as a unit as they did during the strike.
 The Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company one of the corporations. 1t is understood, has not been heard from on the matter yet.
 Those which are said to be in the agree ment scheme are the Delaware, Lacka- wanna and Western, the Lehigh Valley, the DelewaIe and Hudson and the Erie Company. which controls the Pennsylva- mia Coal Company. and the Hillside Coal and Iron Company.
 Tho attorneys for some of the other companies are hourly expecting to hear from the head officials of the corpora uons they represent.
 There is wide difference of opinion as to whether the proposal to settle diff ferences among themselves will meet with success. It has been realized that at least two of the four demands of the miners-that for uniform wage scale and the weighing of coal-cannot be satisfac- torily settled in the hearing room, but must be fixed up at the mines. There are upwards of 360 collieries, and there are hardly any two of them alike. It is ar gued by the operators that there must be a different scale for each one on &C., count of the varying conditions, and that uniform wage scale, which is one of the miners demands. is impossible.
 Regarding the weighing of coal, the op- orators say that it would be impossible to grant the demands as presented by the miners because of the non existence of machinery or system by which a miner can be paid for the 2,240 pounds of pre- pared coal. It will have to be done they say, through the present system of aver ages.
 Recognition of Union.
 The proposition is to have the mine workers make contracts with their em- ployers only, and not as 1t is done in the bituminous States, where the operators have State or district organizations which recognize the United Mine Workers of America. The proposed contract with each company does not carry with 1t a recognition of the union. and on that ground it Is not likely that the two par ties will be abe to settle 1t without resort to the arbitration commission.
 It is not doubted that whatever agree ment, if one is reached, will be approved by the commission. The agreement, how ever, will have to be one that will pro- vide for a reasonably sure permanent set clement. The instructions given to the commissioners by President Roosevelt when he handed the case to them to set tie are explicit In these instructions he said:
 You will endeavor 10 establish tho re- lation between the employers and the wage workers in the anthracite fields on just and permanent basis and as far as possible do away with any causes for the recurrence of such difficulties as those which you have been called on to settle"
 When one of the commissioners was asked what the commission would do in case 1t thought the agreement would not be performed. he said: We will cross that bridge when we come to It."