The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1906-03-03

coft Coal Operators to Me.t March
10 20 : tie Dispute.
Steel TRuoT or mlNERS' SIDE

Is e-l4 Prcsiient Corey delivered
Ultimatum Taat Strike Must Be
Avered at fIl costs-must HaVe
the Coal.
P.ttsburg. Pa, M1rch Nearly all
,ae members Of the operators com
mittee Of the four bituminous coal
mining states. parties to the Interstate
agreement. responded to the call OF
Chair.aan Z. l.. Robbins, Of tne Plus
burg Ccal company. for meeting to
consider proposition to hold another
meeting with the miners on the wage
disagreement.
The meeting was called by Mr.. Rod
llns as the result OF a letter from
President Roosevelt asking that an
other attempt be made TO avert
strike I'm the bituminous fields, ana
calling attention to Mr.. Robbins re-
sronsibility as member Of the Ma
tional Civic Federation
The session lasted about TWO hours
and at the close a statement was Is
sued setting forth that general con
ference OF the operators OF PennsylVa'
MIA. Ohio. Indiana and Illinois had
been called 10 meet at indianapolis on
March 49, and that Il had been called
entirely in Difference TO the wishes Oh
President Roosevelt. no action having
been taken looking to settlement Oh
the miners dispute.
Neither Chairman F. l.. Robbins OF
the Pittsburg Coal company. VINO pre-
sided at the meeting. nor any ot the
onerators present would say anything.
II was learned from a reliable source
however that the meeting was most
tumultuous and that several OF the
operators present expressed themselves
in impassicned speeches. The Indiana
and Ohio operators stood as a body
AGAINST granting the 5.5 advance while
the Illinois operators and Pittshurs
district operators were divided. Ihe
indeoepdent operators OF the Pittsburg
district firmly opposed the suggestion
for the advance Mr. Robbins TOOK
occaslon to deny. and In an emphatic
manner that he had any understand
ing with President John Mitchell, OF
the United Mine Workers, to restore
the scale OF two years ago. H. n. Iay-
lor the Illinois operator, who Is said
TO have been party to the alleged un-
derstanding. refused after the confer
ence to discuss the matter.
BEFORE the statement Of the opera
tors was issued It was generally ac-
cepted that Mr.. Robbins emergency
call to the leading operators OF the
four states represented was due to an
ultimatum delivered by William Ellis
Corey. president OF the United States
Steel Corporation. who declared that
at all costs a soft coal strike must be
averted Mr. Corey is said to have
summoned Mr.. Robbins and to have
warned him as follows;
"The United States Steel Corporation
will not stand a strike. We have a 25-
year contract for coal with you and IL
must be taken care OF. Give the miners
an advance keep them in good humor
for the year. Do this, or we will see
that they get their wages and we get
the coal"
That part OF the statement relating
10 the contract is true. The Plttsburg
Coal company has contracted to deliver
TO the steel combine its coal for the
next % years. the minimum coal to be
taken Is 5000 900 tons annually. II Is
on a sliding scale. too. and 1t can with
safety be said to be the largest contract
in he world. No chances are to be
taken by either side in this case, and 1t
was in vain that Robbins tried to show
Corey that enoush coal to hold the cor
poratlon for many months had been
stored.
NO strike at any price" was the
order from Corey, and while he was
giving this order George Gould, repre-
senting the great interests Of the Gould
family in the West and Southwest was
doing something similar In those dis
tricts.