The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1906-04-04
ANTHRACITE CONFERENCE.
Continuance Of Suspension Depends OF
Result of New York Meeting.

hesult OF new YORK meeting.
New York, April 3.-The day of the
second meeting of the committees rep
resenting the anthracite mine workers
and their employers finds the situa
tion, so far as the hard coal fields are
concerned, unchanged from that dis
closed in the communications that
have passed between the contendins
forces which have been made public.
Neither miner nor operator will ven
ture prediction as to the outcome az
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 vitality inter
ested 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 its
first card, and that the real negotia.
tions have not yet begun.
President MITCHELL arrived here last
night from Indianapolis and estab-
lished headquarters at the Ashland
House. Others who arrived were
Presidents Nichols, Fahy and Dettrey.
The remaining members of the Sha.
mokin scale committee to which has
been referred the matter of settle.
ment with the mine owners, will ar.
rive today.
None of the district leaders would
hn ta6 oc IN tho cftnatfnr ohnxyr
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. They report
that the only colliery working full
handed is the Peoples Coal company's
Oxford operation, in the northern
field, which is run almost exclusively
by non-union men.
The washeries that were in opera
ton employ, district leaders say, only
a small number of men and they are
not well organized.
Today's meeting between the sub
committee of the miners and the OPP
orators will be held at noon and is ex-
pected to be of short duration. 1t is
believed that nothing will be definitely
agreed upon.
According to information obtained
the program for today as tentatively
outlined by the operators is to renew
the counter proposition made to the
miners early in March-that is the
continuation for another term of three
years of the award of the anthracite
strike commission.
The operators, it is understood, will
not make any extended argument but
will content themselves with calling
attention to the reasons they set forth
in their reply to the miners general
demands. The employers, however,
do not expect the miners representa-
tives to accept the proposition or even
consider it at the present time, but
rather expect the union leaders to re-
new their original demands. If this
program is followed out an adjourn
ment probably will be taken for "a or
4S hours.
The conciiatory spirit shown in the
first meeting of the two committees is
not expected to obtain The operators
are indignant over the action of the
miners union in forcing a suspension
of operations and from information
gathered it is not unlikely that the
miners will be told that their action
was extraordinary" as President
Baer already has told Mr.. Mitchell by
telegram. The district leaders of the
mine workers say the action of the
Shamokin scale committee was justi-
fed, that no agreement or contract be-
tween the operators and men existed
after midnight Saturday.
The presidents of the anthracite
coal carrying roads have devoted con-
siderable attention to the action of tho
retail coal dealers in New York, Phil
adelphia and other cities in raising
the price of domestic sizes of coal to
the consumer. They have received re-
ports that many retailers have ad-
vanced prices anywhere from rs cents
to 81 a ton.
The operators some days ago warned
the dealers that If they continued the
practice their supply of coal will be
cut off and fuel will be given to only
those dealers who rigidly maintain the
regular prices. The practice of advanc-
ing prices, however, became so wide
spread that the operators deemed 1t
necessary to issue a statement to the
public showing their position.