Milford chronicle., 1906-04-06
STRIKE MEETING
! TAKES A RECESS
Miners and Operators Adjourn Until
Thursday.
BOTH SIDES REMAIN FIRM

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orators and the mine workers of East
ern Pennsylvania held their first joint
meeting here, and after nearly a three
hours session adjourned until l p. m.
Thursday without coming to an agree
ment. Each side to the controversy
has refused to make the slightest con.
cession, and the whole question appar.
emily is as far from solution as it was
before the conference began. In the
meantime the tie-up Of the anthracite
industry remains as complete as it
was Monday, without indication that
a resumption of mining will occur
very soon. Notwithstanding the fruit.
less session and the apparently hope
less deadlock between the worBmen
and their employers. rumors are still
current that a way will be found that
will enable the operators and miners
to stand on common ground and settle
their differences.
After the conference the following
statement was given out by a repre-
sentative of the operators:
"The conference began with Presi
dent E. b. Thomas, of the Lehigh Val
ley company, in the chair. Mr.. Mitchell
made a long speech, detailing why in
his judgment the original demands OF
the miners ought to be granted. He
was followed by Mr.. Nichols, presi
dent Of the Wyoming dis.
trict of the Miners Union. who sup
ported Mr. Mitchell's argument There
were other speeches by the representa-.
tives of the miners. In fact, that side
did nearly all the talking.
There was no disposition on either
side to recede from its original posi-
tion or to accept any modification OF
the original demands Mr. Mitchelrs
attitude indicated that the counter
proposition made by the operators for
a renewal Of the working agreement
drafted by the anthracite strike com
mission was not acceptable to the
miners.
"On motion of Mr.. Mitchell, the CON
ference adjourned until Thursday.
1.-THE entire situation remains the
same as before the meeting. The sus.
pension of work in the anthracite
mines win continue pending negotia
tions."
Each member of the operators com |
mittee was sought for an interview |
giving further details of the meeting
but none of them cared to say any |
thing beyond what was contained in |
the statement. President Baer, who is
chairman of the operators sub-com |
mittee, said: I'VE simply had a long |
talk, which was in the nature of gilt |
tering generalities. Practically moth |
ing was accomplished"
The members of the miners COM
mittee, including President Mitchell,
absolutely refused to talk of the con-
ference The miners president also
refused to express an opinion as to
whether the situation was hopeful or
discouraging from his viewpoint
The Shamokin scale committee,
which numbers SO men, and which was
appointed last December, held a ses-
sion Tuesday night at the Ashland
House. as planned at Indianapolis last
week The meeting was held behind
closed doors, but it is understood that
the committee went over the situation
as it presents itself, and discussed
what further action should be taken.
The committee was empowered by the
Shamokin convention to endeavor to
make an agreement with the operators
subject to the ratification of another
convention to be called when the COM
mittee is ready to report.
The scale committee was in session
less than an hour. The subcommittee
which had been in conference with
the operators made its report, after
which President Mitchell read the fol
lowing letter from Governor Penny
packer, of Pennsylvania:
Harrisburg. Pa, March 81, 1906.
Dear Sir-The commonwealth Of
Pennsylvania expects that every rea-
sonable effort will be made by the par
ties interested to accommodate the
differences between coal operators and
coal miners and to avert the strike
which is now threatened.
SAMUEL w. PENNYPACKER.
ITO George F. Baer, Reading Terminal,
Philadelphia
John Mitchell indianapolis"
Mr.. Mitchell stated to the committee
that he had acknowledged receipt of
the letter and had notified Governor
Pennypacker that he would communi-
cate its contents to the Shamolin scale
committee.
Reports received from the anthra-
cite fields, according to the labor lead
ers, were satisfactory to them. There
were no breaks reported in the ranks
OF the mine workers and none is ex-
peeted.
Mr. Mitchell, in discussing the sit I
uation in the bituminous fields, said
he had received a large number Of tel t
egrams from the soft coal fields which {
him that affairs in those re- {
gions are working themselves out just I
as he had anticipated. Thousands Of a
men, he said, returned to work under t
the scale of 1908, which gives them I