The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-16
OPERATORS. MEET THE MEN First Session of Anthra-
 cite Conference. DEMANDS OF THE MINERS Committee Gives General Outline
 of Its Case. Representatives of the Hard Coal Workers Had Not Fully Prepared
 Their contentions, asd Ad-
 journment Is Taken.
 
DEMANDS OF THE MINERS

New York, Feb. 15.--The special scale committee of the union anthracite rnine workers of Pennsylvania appeared be- fore the presidents and other officials of the coal mining companies here to. day. stated in general terms ths propo- sitions 1t desired the operators to grant and then retired to formulate in detail the demands.
 Before the conference adjourned, two sub-committees of seven men each wera appointed, one representing the miners and the other the operators. to take up jointly the questions at issue and endeavor to reach an agreement When the committees have completed their work. they will make a report to tha conference,
 The utmost good feeling prevailed during the meeting. and there were many signs that all matters at issue may be settled without resort to a strike. That the mine workers were not completely prepared to so ahead with the negotiations came as 6 sur- prise to the operators, as they had been led to believe that the miners had perfected their case The operators were fully prepared to proceed and some of them were disappointed that the representatives of the men were rioa quite ready
 Conference ia Representative.
 The conference, so far as 1t related to the coal companies. was the most representative that has ever been held. Every coal company in the anthracite region was represented. President Mitchell of the miners union was the spokesman for the employees, and made a speech that was well received by the operators.
 The meeting was held behind closed doors In the general offices of tho Trunk Line Association and lasted less than an hour After the confer ence the following statement was given out
 There was | full representation of mine operating companies and miners. The meeting was called to order with MT. Connen In the chair. Mir Mitchell addressed the meeting. giving In gen- eraf teerms the proposition desired by the miners and stating that the same had not been entirely formulated in da- tail
 After n brief discussion 1t was cons cluded that the miners and mine oper- ators should each appoint committee to represent them in the future in ref- erence to the matter, the committees to consist of seven each. The follow ing were appointed to represent tho miners; John Mitchell. John Fahy, George Hartlein, w. IT. Dattrey, John Gallagher. T. D. NIcholis, John T. Dempsey and the following to repre-. sent the mine operators. Messrs. Baer. Truesdal. Kerr, Wilcox. Wiliiams, Thomas Cake.
 ''The understanding was that after the committee terminated their work they should report to the committee of the whole
 Beyond the information contained in the statement given out nothing could be learned as to what occurred az fhe conference Neither Mir Mitchell nor the operators would discuss inc nature of the demand made by tha miners. but It is believed that they are substantially the same as those made public at the time of the meeting of the miners at Shamokin last December.
 These demands call for an eight hour day without any reduction in wages, for employees paid by the hour. day or week; a uniform wage scale for ali classes of employees: fifteen to twenty per cent. increase in wages; recon- struction of the board of conciliation and the recognition of the union- Some other grievances are of a minor na- ture.
 President Mitchell when seen tonight refused to make any comment on tho outcome of the first meeting.