The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-07
PARTIAL COAL ARBITRATION,
OPERATORS INCLINED TO SUB
NIT ANY NEW QUESTIONS.
Old Disputes Not to He Reopeued-A Answer
10 Min Workers to He Considered
al Meeting To-day-Mitchen Looks
for Acceptance-Denia From Baer.

10 Mine Workers TO He Considered
at Meeting To-day-Mitchel Looks
for Acceptance Denial From Baer.
The anthracite operators committee Of
seven will meet to-day to consider the
answer they will give to the arbitration
proposition Of the miners committee Of
seven at the joint conference next Monday.
While 1t is not believed that the PROPOSE
ton will be agreed to, 1t was thought yester-
day that il the miners insist that there Ia
something new which can be arbitrated
and which has not been covered by the
award OF the Anthracite Strike Commits
sion the operators may offer to put to
arbitration the question whether or not any
new question has arisen.
This is indicated by the pamphlet OF
President Wilcox OF the Delaware and
Hudson Company, which was made public
on Thursday, in which he said that "the
only question properly open is whether
there are any new facts which raise new
questions beyond the scope Of the arbitra-
ton which has already taken place. No
such new facts nave been brought to public
| attention"
None Of the coal presidents would talk
yesterday on the probable answer Of the
| operators to the miners committee. Pred-
dent E. b. Thomas of the Lehigh Valley
Company said:
Il have nothing to say on the coal situa-
ton now. l cannot discuss what attitude
we will take ahead of the conference, or
in fact discuss the matter at ALL"
1t is expected that the conference will be
attended by a number Of the other anthra-
committee Of seven.
The members Of the scale committee OF
thirty-six Of the miners who are with
Mitchell at the Ashland House held a meet
ing yesterday, after which they went to
their homes. They will be back in time
for Mondays conference. Mitchell re-
manned in the city. He was asked il he
thought the arbitration proposition would
be accepted by the employers.
I'VE would not have asked for arbitration
IL we did not hope that it would be 40
oepted,' he replied. "We expect that 1t
will be accepted"
He refused to make any comment on
the statement of the employers on Thurs
day in which it was intimated that there
was nothing arbitrable in his propositions.
He was asked what he thought Of the situa-
ton In the soft coal districts.
Il am we'll satisfied with it," he said.
He was reminded that everything was tied
up In Indiana, and he said that the miners
would not work unless the operators signed
the scale Of 1908. He sent the following
reply to the telegram sent to him by John
H. Winder, president Of the Ohio Operators
Association, asking him IL he is willing to
submit the differences between the soft
coal miners and the operators to arbitra-
ton:
Telegram forwarded from Indianapolis
received in New York city. have no authority
either to accept or decline the proposition
you make to arbitrate differences between
the bituminous miners and operators. The
international executive board Of United
Mine Workers of America will convene at
indianapolis 18th inst. at which time
your telegram will be laid before 1t and the
decision communicated to you.
1t was noted that the arbitration PROPOSE
ton of Mr.. Winder was almost word for
word the same as the proposition made by
Mitchell to the anthracite operators, ex-
cept that the miners, and not the operators.
were asked to agree to arbitration.
President Baer of the Jersey Central com-
pany sent a message to this city yesterday
denying a statement credited to him in a
Philadelphia despatch to the effect that he
had made a statement that a canvass OF
the operators showed that they were OPP
posed to arbitration. He had not even
discussed the subject, he said, and Hid not
authorize any such statement. He was
awaiting the action of the independent
operators, who we're in session in Scranton
or Wilkesbarre.
The representatives OF the soft coal COM
panies who have Offices in this city thought
IL a significant fact yesterday that the joint
conference in the Clearfield district of Penn
sylvania should he postponed until next
Tuesday. The Clearfeld district is one of
the largest soft coal regions in Pennsylvania,
and il is believed that the Clearheld operators
are awaiting the result of the confer
enoe between the anthracite = opera
tors and miners in this city on Monday
before they will decide whether or not they
will grant the miners demands.
A representative of one Of the largest
sales agencies OF the companies admitted
Yesterday that anthracite was scarce in the
New York market. The companies were
not shipping any coal to this city. The
scarcity, he said, was largely caused by
well to do people filing their cellars In the
month OF March. The Lehigh Valley
company, he said, was shipping some coal
but not much. One dealer told him that he
had $1,000 tons OF coal about the middle Of
March, and now 1t was nearly all gone.