New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-18
MINERS FIX DEMANDS.
ALL WANT EIGHT HOURS.
Outside Mems Threat of Strike
Forced Decision.

The anthracite miners committee of seven de-
cided after much wrangling yesterday on max
ing a general eight hour demand for all the an
thracite mine workers. both inside and outside.
AS the operators have already affirmed that they
will not agree to general eight hour workday,
the demand. II is expected. Will be refused.
II became known during the day that the out
side men would go strike If partial eight
hour concession was made in which they were
left out. This fastened the decision of the COM
mittee. Some OF the members talked though
the employers might have some subterfuge be-
hind the eight hour question. They might. they
thought, meet the miners with the argument
that II there a general eight hour work
day the contract miners would have to be in
cluded. The contract miners are the skilled
workers who do the blasting. and have to be
licensed under the laws of Pennsylvania.
A contract miner is paid from So to S12 day.
He pays out of this helper. sometimes two
or three helpers. He goes into the mine at
or a. and blasts much anthracite he
thinks is a days work, he is allowed TO
blast In a day. Then the helpers follow and
prepare the coal fer the breakers.
The president of one of the anthracite coal
carrying companies said that so far the opera
tors have received no oral or written communi-
cation from the miners committee of seven.
There was openly expressed belief among
some of the members of the committee that in
the reinstatement of III men alleged to have
been blacklisted In the Panther Run Galleries.
run by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com
pany, the miners committee was deprived Of
weapon with which TO invoke public sentiment
If they had gone to the conference with these
Ill men the blacklist, they said the public
would have realized the methods of the opera
tors.
1t had been decided. however that there could
be no conference with the operators until these
men were reinstated. The representative of
Panther Run district on the committee said
last night:
III an agreement could not have been reached
with the operators while these men were still ont
3,ooO miners would have struck at once in the
PANTHER Run district against the Lehigh Coal
ana Navigation Company. They were discrimi-
mated against because they took an active mart
IN labor matters and were driven from collierv
10 colllery. They were disciplined according
TO the employers. but we say they were black
listed The blacklisting a violation of the
award OF the strike commission.
No two members of the committee put the
same construction on the Ryan resolution hy
which no agreement could be made in one dis
trlct unless an agreement made in all the
hard and soft coal districts. The resolution was
first carried at a national convention of both
anthracite and btuminous miners in Indianapo-
lis. 1t was afterward passed again at a confer
ence between the soft coal operators and soft
coal miners.
1t is understood that Mitchelrs construction OF
1t does not prevent the anthracite miners from
closing an agreement if they can. Some of the
members OF the committee agree with him.
Mitchell refused to discuss the resolution or the
Dolan matter. He seemed in low spirits all day.
and the members of the committee were in de-
nantiy oolsterous spirits as if they We're pre-
pared TO meet whatever might happen.