The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-04-28
Operators Refuse to Modify
Their Position on De-
mands Of Anthracite
Miners.
crisis IN negotiations
MITCHELL MUST DECLARE
STRIKE OR BACK DOWN

Operators Put Decision Up to Him and
Also the sponsibility-DecIare that
the Acceptance OF the Sliding Scale
of Wages Proposed by the Miners
Would Demand an Increase in Price
of COnI to the Public OF Thirty-slx
Cents u TOn-say Present Profit is
But Twenty Cents a Ton.
New York, April 27-The anthracite
mine operators through their sub-eom-
mittee of seven at meeting here TO-
day drew up a reply to the latest prop
osltions of the mine workers for an ad-
justment of the existing differences in
the anthracite fields, in which they re-
fuse to modify their position heretofore
announced. The operators call upon
the miners to renew for a period of
three years the award Of the anthra-
cite strike commission or else accept
the operators proposition that the
strike commission arbitrate the ques
ton as to what changes, if any, shall
be made in the scale Of wages fixed by
the commission.
The operators say:
1--WE observe that you reject our
proposition of arbitration by the strike
commission. You speak of it as a sug-
gestion that we arbitrate to ascertain
whether there is anything to arbitrate
and then restrict within narrow limits
the scope Of the investigation This
statement Of the proposition is erro-
neous. Our offer was to submit to-
the members of the strike commission
the question whether any changes in
conditions have occurred since the
award of the commission requiring that
the award should be so modified as to
wages and adjustment of complaints,
and If so, how it should be changed"
This proposition is in accordance with
the view that we have constantly urg-
ed that the award of the commission
should be deemed conclusive as to any
facts or issues within its scope and
that any further arbitration should be
supplementary to that award. It is
clear that this procedure would tend to
dignity and strengthen the process of
arbitration rather than, as you suggest,
bring 1t into disrepute and ridicule.'
The latter result would follow if arbi-
tration should ever be regarded as final.
1,d1f civ n1y,lVy oC n h0 fnn
less controversy. We regret, therefore,
that you should have rejected what
would clearly be the fair and logical
course regarding any arbitration in the
premises.
I'VE observe that your present propo-
Eitions concern merely the matter of
wages. These propositions seem to be
based upon the impressions that wages
in the anthracite industry are unduly
low. Even before the advances which
were made by It's award, the strike
commission found to the contrary.
Moreover 1t is established by figures
collected in the report of the secretary
of internal affairs of the state of Penn
sylvania for 1904 that the average year
ly earnings of all classes of anthracite
mine workers are much greater than
those Of bituminous employees In that
state. Inasmuch as the two industries
are so largely competitive, the dispar-
ity of wages cannot be safely further
Increased"
The operators, after giving figures in
detail, say that to accept the sliding
scale Of wages proposed by the miners
would demand an increase in the price
of coal to the public of thirty-six cents
a ton, the present profit, they say, be-
ing but twenty cents ton. The letter
concludes:
1--WE trust that on Thursday next the
deliberate Judgment of the anthracite
workers will result in an acceptance of
that proposition, but if not they will
4oin with us in the arbitration we have
offered.
Failing to meet us on either PROPOSE
fion the responsibility of a strike must
rest upon you"
The letter is signed by George F.
Baer, E. B. Thomas, David Wilcox, w,
II. Truesdale, Morris Williams, j. B.
Kerr and ]. L. Cake.
Scranton. Pa, April 27.-President
John Mitchell read the Associated Press
dispatch on the operators answer to-
night hut would make no comment
other than that he was surprised.
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