The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-04-03
CONFERENCE WITH THE
 COAL OPERATORS TO-DAY
ALI EYES ON THE MEETING TO BE HELD IN NEW
 YORK.

Neither Side VIII Venture Prediction HopefuI-FeeIing Among Those Vi tally Interested in the Struggle That Some Way Out of Present Difficulty Will be Found -- Operators Issue Statement Declaring There is Abso- luteIy No Excuse for Retailers Going Up in the Price--The Bituminous Situation.
 New York, April 2.-The eve of the second meeting of the committee rep resenting the anthracite mine workers and their employers finds the situation, so far as the hard coal fields are con- cerned unchanged from that disclosed in the communications that have pass ed between the contending forces and which have been made public. Neither miner nor operator tonight will ven- ture a prediction as to the outcome as neither party is aware of what the next move of the other will be. Both sides are hopeful, however, and there IS feeling among those vitally interested in the struggle that some way out of the present difficulty will be found. This feeling is based on the fact that each side has only played it's first card and that the real negotiations have not yet begun,
 President Mitchell arrived here to- night from Indianapolis and establish ed headquarters at the Ashland house. He was accompanied by his secretary and Thomas Haggerty, of the central Pennsylvania district of the miners union, who is member of the inter- national executive board. Others who arrived tonight were Presidents Nichols, Fahy and Dettrey, and Sec retaries Dempsey, Gallagher and Hart lein, all of the anthracite region. The remaining members of the Shamokin scale committee, to which has been re- ferred the matter of settlement with the miner owners, will arrive to-rnor- row.
 None of the district leaders would be quoted as to the situation as shown by the first days suspension, but they all admitted privately that the utmost harmony prevails in the region and that rumors that thousands of men would not obey the suspension order, have proved groundless.s They report that the only colliery working full handed Is the Peoples Coal Co.'s Ox- ford operation, in the northern field, which is run almost exclusively by non-union men, The charter of the local union at this colliery was an nulled some time ago. The washeries that were in operation to-day employ, the district leaders say, only small ,smber of men, and they are not we'll kanized.
 o-morrow's meeting between the -committee of the miners and the orators, will be held at noon and is ected to be of short duration It is eved that nothing will be definitely eed upon. According to information sained tonight the programme for morrow as tentatively outlined by
 operators, is to renew the counter position made to the miners early March--that is the continuation for ther term of three years of the
 rd of the anthracite strike com ssion. The operators, it is understood,
 not make any extended argument,
 will content themselves with call
 attention to the reasons they set
 I'd in their reply to the miners gen.
 demands. The employers, how
 do not expect the miners repre-
 atives to accept the proposition or
 consider 1t at the present time,
 rather expect the union leaders to
 H their original demands. If this Eramme is followed out, an adjourn 5 probably will be taken for twen- Bur or forty-eight hours.
 e conciliatory spirit shown in the
 meeting of the two committees is Expected to obtain tomorrow. The sators are indignant over the action
 le miners union in forcing a sus-
 ion of operations and from infor-
 on gathered to-day it is not unlike
 lat the miners will be told that
 action was extraordinary" as
 ident Baer has already told MT.
 hell by telegram. The district
 ers of the mine workers, in de-
 Ing their course, say the action of
 Shamokin scale committee was
 lied that no agreement or contract
 Seen the operators and the men
 .sd after midnight Saturday.
 qesident Mitchell appeared in a &6Ileerful mood when spoken to regard ing the bituminous situation. He said everything in the soft coal fields is working out to the satisfaction of him self and the miners in that territory. On the way from Indianapolis to New York, the miners president received telegrams at various stations informing him of the progress of affairs. On his arrival at his headquarters here he was given another large batch of messages. He said that more than 100000 soft coal miners have already been granted the 1903 scale and predicted that by the end of the week fully 80 per cent. of the bituminous workers will have been given the 555 advance in wages. He thought that within 45 days every soft coal mine, where the men are organ ized, will be working on a union basis.