The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-04-06
ARBITRATION PROPOSED
 BY MINERS COMMITTEE
WILLING TO SUBMIT DIFFER ENCES TO 4 BOARD FOR
 SETTLEMENT.

To be Composed of Present Board ot Consolidation Provided for in the Award of the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission, With Judge Gray, or Any Person He May Appoint, to Act as Chairman and Umpire--Miners to Re- sume Work Immediately on Accept apce of Arbitration PrOpOsition-- Boards Decision to be Final-Opera- tors Ask Adjournment Until Monday to Consider the QuestiOn-DO Not Look Favorably Upon It.
 New York, April 5.-Having failed to come to an agreement among them selves, the hard-coal miners of Pennsyl- vania, through their representatives, to-day proposed to the operators that all matters in dispute be referred to board of arbitration for settlement, the tribunal to be composed of the board or conciliation which was created by the award of the anthracite strike commits sion in 1903, and Judge George Gray, of Delaware, or any person he may ap- point, as chairman and umpire. If the operators accept the proposition, and convention of mine workers approves the plan the 160,00O men now idle in the anthracite fields will return to work at once.
 While it had been reported for several days that the miners might ask that the differences be arbitrated, the prop osition made to the mine owners to-day came to them as a great surprise, as they did not believe the union leaders were ready to leave the controversy to a third party at this time.
 That the operators will accept the miners proposal as submitted is not generally believed; in fact, it Is inti- mated that they may f1atly refuse the offer on the ground that existing condi- tons are the result of arbitration The employers have decided to carefully consider the miners latest move, and promise to give President Mitchell and his men an answer on Monday, when another meeting of the two sub-com- mittees will be held.
 The text of the arbitration proposal as submitted to the operators is as fol- lows:
 '.The subcommittee of operators and miners met at o'clock to-day and the miners submitted the following propo- sition:
 ",The committee appointed by the Shamokin convention of December IA last, representing the employees of the various companies operating the mines, washeries and breakers in the anthra- cite coal region, having under consider ation our proposition to you, dated Feb- ruary 27, together with your commit tees proposition of March 9, which was 2, continuation of the award of the an thracite coal-strike commission, and a letter from the governor of Pennsylva- mia, have decided, in view of the great public interest involved, aside from those we represent directly, that it is our duty to make some further effort and even sacrifice of what we believe justly our duty in the matter of wages and conditions of employment, in order that a great public calamity may be aVerteQ. Iu6r6LOI6 we pIOpOSS Iudl subject to the approval of convention of anthracite mine workers which shall be called at the earliest date possible the differences between us, as stated in our propositions and your counter-pro- posals, be referred, for determination and settlement, to a board of arbitra- tion composed of the members of the present board of conciliation, provided for in the award of the anthracite coal strike commission, with Judge George Gray, or any person he may appoint, tC act as chairman and umpire.
 ''The decision of this tribunal, or tn, majority of members thereof, in so fal as 1t influences wages to be effective from April 1, 1906, and to continue il force until March 31, 1908, such decision to be final and binding upon all partie < in interest. The employees of the an thracite mines, washeries and breaker to resume work immediately and t continue at work pending the decision of said boards.
 "JOHN MITCHELL,
 CT. D. NICHOLS,
 tWILLIAM H. DETTREY,