The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1906-04-11
OPERATORS
OFFER PLAN
Strike Commission to Settle
Dispute.
MINERS TO ANSWER
After Refusing MitcheIl's Offer oil
Arbitration Mine Owners Make
Counter Proposal.

NEW YORK. April l1.-At the meet
ing of the joint committee Of the am
thNcitc operators and miners the OPP
orators submitted counter PROPOSE
lion to President Mitchel's arbitration
proposal
The operators made Il counter pro
posal that the commission appointed
by President Roosevelt in 1903 be re-
quested to decide whether any changes
in conditions in the hard coal regions
have occurred which require that the
award of the commission should he
modified The mine owners limit the
inquiry TO two grievances wages and
a method for the adjustment of com
plants. The miners have taken the
proposal under consideration and may
give the operators I'm answer tomor-
row. when another conference between
the subcommittee of the two parties
will be held
The principal points of the counter
proposal were that the operators were
willing TO arbitrate any new matters
that may have arisen since the antllra
cite coal strike commission passed up
ON the original differences three years
ago, that the operators would still be
unwilling to recognize the union and
that in signing any new agreement
with the miners ii be made for term
of three instead of two years, so that it
wouldn't terminate upon the eve Of Il
presidential election.
The counter proposition of the OPP
orators is in part as follows:
You suggest that your propositions,
which include recognition of the union.
check off. limitation of the number Of
men permitted TO work under a con
tract miner. limitation OF the amount
of work which may he done by each
miner. no termination of employment
of any individual without arbitration
and supervision of our mining opera
lions generally, with all the machinery
that your organization has created for
controlling the coal business. shall he
submitted to the board of Cancellation,
created by the anthracite strike com
mission. board with which you have
shown your dissatisfaction by asking
in the propositions which you have sub
mitted that II be abolished,
"Your proposal, as we understand,
even involved the submission by us of
the question of our making an agree
ment with the United Mine Workers
Of America to the exclusion of nonun-
ion w0rkers-a question which we did
not submit to the anthracite strike
commission for reasons then stated. in
which we were fully. justified by that
commission
Every question that you have pre-
sented was. in some form or other, aft
ar careful investigation. passed upon
by the anthracite strike commission
commission composed Of disinterested
parties.
The award it made has been faith
fully lived up to.
your propositions cover various
methods Of increasing wages to such
an extent that the price of all GOA
would be increased, the increase on
domestic sizes running MS high as Sl.2C
per ton. In the absence of convincing
proof of the necessity we are opposed
10 any action which Will have the eff
feet of increasing the present price OF
anthracite coal
'''rhe board of Cancellation, TO which
YOU have asked that all these serious
questions be referred. was not created
for any such purpose, 1t was design
ed as minor tribunal to give effect tC
the awards the commission made and
to determine controversies arising
Hereunder
For the reasons stated we therefore
decline your suggestion to refer the
questions decided by the anthracite
coal strike commission to the board OF
cancellation"