The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-03
COAL CONFERENCE ON TODAY
MITCHELL IN TOWN; SILENT AS
40 THE OUTLOOK.

Ab8OciAto says ho IL ~ MUCH IN inc ozark
az the Publlc-Operators and Dealers
Disagree as to the Cause for the In.
crease I'm Retail Prioes in New York.
President John Mitchell Of the United
Mine Workers arrived here yesterday
evening to attend the conference between
the anthracite operators and miners
committee Of seven which he asked for
and which will take place to-day. The
miners committee consists Of Mitchell
and the presidents and secretaries Of tho
three anthracite districts. Mitohell a
accompanied by T. D. Nichols, president;
and j. T. Dempsey, secretary Of District
No. 1, and two or three other international
officers who are not on the committee Of
seven. John Fahy, president of District
No. o, arrived later. The rest Of the COM
mittee are expected here early to-day.
The conference will begin about noon at
149 Liberty street. When Mitchell came
to the Ashland House he said he was too
tired to talk. but might have something to
say later. Later he decided to say nothing
at all. One of the district presidents was
asked what he had to say as to the stu
alton, He said;
"The public knows as much as we do.
All the correspondence between Mr.. Baer
and Mr.. Mitchell has been published in
the papers. 1t would be impossible to
forecast the result of to-morrow's con-
ference. We are in hopes that the opera
tors may yield some points, but we have
nothing on which to base any predictions
1t is known that the operators will not
grant a demand for an increase Of wages,
the general eight hour workday, the closed
shop, the check system (which would vir-
tually be the closed shop or any changes
in the methods of the Board Of Concilia-
ton. They will not grant a uniform wage
scale.
This disposes Of about all that the miners
demand. The operators have not changed
their minds about the demands, but will
hear what Mitchell and his committee have
to say.
The anthracite operators denied enphati-
oally yesterday that prices were raised to
the consumer because coal was scarce and
the sales agents were not filing the orders.
On the other hand. the dealers insist that
they are not squeezing the public. They
declare they cannot get coal in the quanti-
ties required at the circular prices. The
only thing that appeared to be certain Is
that the public will nave to pay higher
prices for coal. Prices were not advanced
yesterday from those Of Saturday.
The following statement was issued
yesterday on behalf Of the anthracite OPP
orators committee Of seven:
Advices received this morning from the
anthracite coal regions are to the effect that
the Delaware. Lackawanna and Western
Railroad is operating six washeries; Erie.
five washeries: Ontario and Western. Two
washeries; Delaware and Hudson. one washery
and the Peoples Coal Company. one breaker.
The Reading, the Lehigh Valley and the
Temple Coal and Iron Company are not at
tempting to run any of their plants, although
some 1000 men reported to the Lehigh Valley
Coal Company for work this morning.
The coal operators are doing their utmost
to secure an even distribution OF the supply
of coal now on hand. The price of freight
has not been raised, no charge whatever Is
being made for the cost the operators have
incurred for the storage of coal and the price
I. o. b. and alongside Is exactly the same
to-day as it has been for months past. There
is no excuse for raising the price OF coal,
and the operators are doing everything in
their power to prevent 1t.
At the headquarters OF the Coal Mer-
chants Association, 639 Sixth avenue, the
statement that the dealers were getting
a. the coal they required was declared
to be without foundation. It was adj
mitted that the coal carrying companies
had not advanced the price, however.
Commissioner j. Samuel Snoot Of the
association said:
II will appoint any newspaper purchasing
agent for the coal dealers Of the city If it
can buy coal in the quantities we require
at the public prices, and we will sell it to
the public at the prices of last week II the
thing can be accomplished. Coal ia Mt
the same price f. o. b. in Jersey City, but
we cannot get it. The operators are tell
ing the truth when they say prices are
the same, but for three days last week
no coal was loaded at the mines to be
shipped to dealers here, while the consump-
ton from our yards went on at the same
high rate.
Alfred L. Barber Of Alfred Barber's Son;
SIT Water street, said that the operators
had treated the dealers outrag eously. He
continued;
They assured us that there would be
no trouble at the mines until April Is.
and yet three weeks ago they began to
stop shipping coal here and began selling
all the loaded cars along the line. The
big office buildings throughout the city
are in a bad way, and If the opera tors oon-
tinue to hold back the millions OF tons
they have stored there will have to be a
ra Use Of another dollar a ton soon or the
dealers will have to close their yards"
A number Of men called yesterday at
III Broadway In response to an advertise
ment saying that men were wanted there
as ~watohmen. When they oaps out they
said they were sworn in as special police
men 10 60 to the anthracite district.