Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-11
REPLY By OPERATORS
Mitohelrs Plan for Arbitration Rejected and
Another Proposed,
ASK THAT OLD BOARD Be REc0NVENE0
Questions of Wages and Complaints Only to
Be Considered
AWARD TO BE BINDING THREE YEARS
Letter Says All Other Questions Raised Are
Already Settled,
ADJOURNMENT TAKEN UNTIL THURSDAY
AWARD TO BE BINDING THREE YEARS
ADJOURNMENT TAKEN UNTIL THURSDAY
the Proposition aud at Once
Calls n Meeting of the
scale Committee.

INV AOhNt ApIli IVA counter "
sit!on was made today by the anthi
coal operators at their meeting will
J., presentatives OF the Emitted Mine
ers Of America. This proposition
the arbitration plan offered by John ,
ell, president Of the United Mines Wo
and instead suggests the following
The Anthracite Coal commission Of 1902
should be requested TO rcconvene and con-
slider whether any circumstances have
arisen since April 1, 1903. which would
justify a modification Of It's award OF that
date IN respect only to the following sub
jscts: First wages. Second, as to adjust
ment Of complaints through the concilIia-
ton board or otherwise.
Any now award of the commission shall
be binding for a period Of three years.
After the proposal had been read Presi-
dent Mitchell asked whether, under the
plan, the anthracite operators would have
the privilege OF asking the commission 70
reduce the wages. and he was informed by
one OF the presidents that they had. In
reply 20 another question he was told that
II the operators plan is accepted, the
first offer OF the coal companies to renew
and continue for three years the award Of
the strike commission would collapse.
The Joint conference adjourned after
having been I'm session about half an hour
TO meet again Thursday.
Reply of the Operators.
The reply OF the operators to the arbitra-
tlon OF the United Mine Workers says IN
part:
Your proposal as we understand. even
involves the submission by anthracite mine
operators OF the question of our making an
agreement with the United Mine Workers
of America to the exclusion of the non
union workers-a question which we did
not submit to the anthracite strike COM
mission for reasons then stated In which
we were fully justified by that commission.
Every question that you have presented,
was In some form or other, after careful
investigation passed upon by the anthra cite
strike commissions commission composed
made has been faithfully lived up to. Al
though the duration Of the award was
limited to APTs iss 1905 o,h,c I was tSs 9Ss
principles upon which Il was made would
be permanent and continuing, That ex-
mission in its hearings and in it's award
was guided by the presidents expressed
the relations between the employers and
the wageworkers In the anthracite coal
fields on a just and permanent basis
mental questions decided by the anthracite
strike commission. They have formulated
principles and rules of right to govern
the relations between employe and en-
ployer which have received the nearly
assent Of all good citizens Of the land.
lions necessarily involved the further and
most important one OF all, that is, increase
public A board of arbitration consisting
80 largely OF your representatives ana ours
would hardly be considered oy e, ine ,p'i pnonc
The reply is signed by George F. Baer
w. II. Truesdale. ]. b. Kerr, David wnl-
cox, Morris Williams. f. 3. Thomas. ]. L.
Cake committee. New York, April Q, 1906
President Mitchell would not comment
on the answer OF the operators, but said
there would he meeting OF the scale
\ committee tonight 10 consider It.
independents Are Defiant.
At the close of the meeting a copy of I
letter from independent operators, who melt
a meeting at Wilkesbarre yesterday, to th'
operators committee, was made public
This letter expressed the conviction OF tn
Independent operators that any agreemen
10 arbitrate with the United Mine Worker
would be an unjustihable surrender to an
archy and mob violence. The letter con
tained the following;
We contend that Il would be better tina
our mines shall lie idle for years than tina
we shall accede 10 the highwayman-like de
mands of en- organization that lacks eithe
the wish or the ability to restrain its mem
hers from acts of violence that would dis
grace the much-despised Russia
The independents wrote that II the op
orators committee could decide IN deferenc
to public opinion upon some offer OF arbi
tration that arbitration should be by tn
same body that met IN 1902 and 1903 an
that there should be no submission o
questions already adjudicated. like tn
closed shop. collection OF dues, or the sus
gestion OF any terms less than FIVE years
during which the award shall be binding
The independents also suggested that an
increase IN the cost Of production shoul
be added at once 10 the market price o
coal on this point the letter said;
II consumers NATURALLY, perhaps. thinkin
only OF their own comfort and convenience
are 80 Indifferent TO the demands OF la,
and order as to compel US TO abandon
contest for right and decent goVernmen
that We are ready, II necessary 10 under
lake they should pay the cost Of the sur
render that they compel.
rhs letter Is signed for the Anthraclt
Coal Operators association by H. 5. Ash
ley. president. and II. w. Kingsbury, sec
retary