New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-03-12
DENY MINERS DEMANDS
OPERATORS FILE REPLY.
Offer to ErteHd Present agreement
as an ALTERNATIVE.

In an elaborate statement. made public yester-
day the anthracite operators refused the de-
mands OF the anthracite mine workers as a
whole. which were referred 20 "propositiOns'
by President Mitchell Of the United Mine Work
ers and the committee OF seven It gives the
reasons of the operators for refusing the de-
mands. The statement does nc make It i'm
possible for settlement, as the alternative Is
offered OF continuing the award made by the
anthracite strike commission for further term
of three years from April l. the present agree
ment expiring at the end OF this month.
The answer OF the operators was sent TO
President Mitchell who left this city for Indian
apOlis by the 1875 a. m train from Jersey city
yesterday He was accompanied by William H
Dettrey. president OF Anthracite District No T.
and George Hartlein. secretary Of District No
:. two of the members OF the committee OF
seven. who remained after the others left the
city week ago. John Fahy. president OF Dis
trict No. 3. will not leave till to-day. Before he
went away Mitchell had a conference with his
three subordinates. but would not talk on what
had taken place or discuss the reply OF the
anthracite operators, saying:
7 am going 10 Indianapolis TO attend the con-
ference of the United Mine Workers. which be-
gins there on Thursday. and at which / wiz
preside That is all care to say at present
The statements issued by the operators yester-
day gives the correspondence which has passed
between President Mitchell and George F. Baer.
president OF the Philadelphia and Reading Coal
and Iron Company representing the operators.
II is signed by the operators committee con-
sisting Of George F. Baer. W. Fl. Truesdale J. B.
Kerr. David Wilcox. Morris Williams. E. B.
Thomas and J. K Cake. the last named repre-
senting the independent operators The de-
mands OF the miners. summed up in the
reply OF the operators. are as follows:
An agreement for one wear with United
Mine Workers OF America, involving a wage scale.
committee Of miners at each cOlery and super
vision by your district officers of coIliery oper-
second-Eight hour day
Third-Uniform scale OF wages throughout the re-
Fourth-An Increase OF 10 per cent 70 men work
Ing under contract and an adltional 20 per cent g
demands 2 5 ana ! viii be an increase OF 228 per
side men and l62 per cent to All contract labor
making an averase increase "a as applied 70 5ae
lent lent 70 an increase Of SSSs cents per ton on an
nestle coal not Including the sliding scale in excess
Qf 1875; and adding the increase in wages created
domestic sizes will be- increased 81 - per ton with
out penny q Increase in profit 20 the operator.
sixth-Check on That Is. the operators to deduct
the sums your organization may name.
seventh-Abrogation OF BOARD OF Cancellation
Regarding the demand FOR an agreement with
the United Mine Workers OF America. the state
ment says that il was carefully considered by
not within It's scope al the first. The commits
sion. in its report. says that the refusal of ths
operators % recognize and deal with the United
Mine Workers as az present constituted is based
on the fact that the majority OF the members OF
the union are employed in the bltumlnous fields:
that the osHcers are chiefly from those fields and
not well acquainted with the work Of mining an
thracire coal. that % deal with them viii be
dealing with an organization controlled by men
engaged in a rival industry bituminous and an
thracite coal mining being considered By them
as competitive or rival industries 50 far as the
use OF anthracite for steam producing purposes
is concerned This section. after quoting az
above from the report of the commission. ends
as follows.
vs. vs. sand materially for the open shop. and
s.-- '-l-He e Easse IN agreement with the
controlled by = rival tSdrsf-y ''-"4 ''''n
The extent g which We are willing 20 % in maxi
P.eEed hy rs IS shown by the proposition herein
The reply of the operators goes extensively
into The eig1t-Gour demand. It again refers 70
the Claims presented to the anthracits strike
commission. and saws
-Ogr experience shows that il is iuaDractieabe 10
1=educe - MUGS cosl working uiae hours. breaker
dcre breaker Zine 10 slFht bor-s our "~ rSe,I
nlust Be decreased and our cost Is necessarily in
r-ea-41 oeefsse our expensive machinery IS idle
turn On che capital invested
\ uniform scale n wages it says. is inprac-
-icable by reason OF the varying capacity OF tha
worAInen and the varying conditions existing in
The region and al the coIferies 10 establish such
uniform scale Each coIIiery. II says IS a prob
lem by itself
II denying the demand for change In the
system OF wages. which would mean an increase
By the increasing 10 an enormous extent ths
s-aouats payable both absolutely and under Tia