Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-07
TO SIGN A WAGE SCHEDULE
Miners Hope for Less Than Three
Year Term.
NO DISCRIMINATION IS ASKED
Operators Will Insist Upon Original
Demands-No Hitch Expected
To Work by Monday.

NEW YORK, May What Is expected
to be the final meeting between the COM
mittees representing the anthracite mine
workers and mine owners of Pennsylvania
Will be held in the office of the Trunk Line
Association In this city this afternoon,
when effort will be made to agree on
term Of years and other minor details
for the continuation of the award of the
anthracite strike commission. The miners
convention last Saturday conditionally &C
cepted tho original proposition of the oper-
ators to continue the award of the COM
mission and instructed its scale committee
TO communicate with the operators and try
TO agree on the number OF years the award
Is to stay in effect and also to have the
operators agree not to discriminate against
certain of the workers.
That an agreement will be reached is not
doubted. although there is expected to be
some debate before they agree on all the
details. Tho miners prefer a one or two
years agreement, beginning April 1, but
the operators are expected to ask the men
to accept tho award for three years. The
owners all through the negotiations with
their employees have insisted on a three
year compact in order to avoid an annual
disturbance in the industry. The miners,
however. feel that a three-year agreement
would be unjust TO them because of the
frequent changes In the working conditions
In the mines. They argue that the COM
mission S award does not now meet some
of the new conditions in the mining indus
try and that an agreement of more than
a year or two would make matters very
unfair TO them.
Against Union Membership.
Aside from that the leaders feel that
three-year agreement would not help the
,F--,.+ MI
after :he award of the strike commission
three years ago thousands of men stopped
paying dues into the union on the ground
that :hey had no immediate need of the
services OF the organization, and for this
reason the leaders prefer a short-time
agTeelneat The falling off in membership
following the strike commissions award
was So great that President Mitchell and a
staff OF organizers spent many months In
the hard coal fields last year bringing back
Old members and otherwise building up the
organization.
At today's meeting an effort will be made
TO have the operators agree not to discrint-
nate against any man who has been ag
gressive in the strike movement. While
this appeared to be a minor detail it is ex-
treneiy important to the miners. Not only
Go all wish to be taken back, but they will
insist that they be given the same working
places they had when mining was suspend
ed. x is fully expected by the miners
leaders. however, that the operators will
ngTce 10 this and instruct their mining
superintendents to carry out the agreement
as fa- as possible. In placing 100 900 men
Il ls expected there will be some friction
but Il is not believed it will result in any
thing serious.
Hope to Resume Work Soon.
If al agreement is reached today the
miners suhscale committee Will report back
10 the convention In Scranton tomorrow
which viii no doubt ratify the committees
action If there is no hitch in the program
the convention probably will order the men
10 return to work either Thursday or Mon
day.
President Mitchell and District Presidents
Nichols, Bettrey and Fahy. and District
SECRETARIES Dempsey and Gallagher arrived
here today from Scanton. The only miss
iIg member of the scale committee Is Dis
tTict Secretary Harten, who Is Ill at his
home in Shamokin.
President Mitchell. when seen today, had
nothing 70 say regarding the situation be-
yCud the statement that all matters per-
tanning 90 the situation have already been
made public.
At noon today il was positively stated
thaJ although the miners will first ask for
q short agreement they will accept three
years # the operators insist upon that
number OF years Members OF the mine
owners committee who We're seen prior to
the meeting said that under no circum-
stances would they agree to a term of
They said there would be no trouble over
agreeing on details regarding the taking
back OF al men and putting them in their
old places.