The Washington times., 1906-04-28
OPERATORS WANT
STRIKE DECLARED
But Little Coal Mined In
Anthracite Region Since
First of Month.

wILKEsBARRE Pa, April 2s.-Jorn
Mitchell, head OF the Miners Union.
viii receive today the official reply c1
the operators refusing the miners pre-
posal for an increase in wages
A call for a meeting next week of
the scale committee 10 consider the re-
ply and prepare a statement to be read
at the Scranton convention of what ne
gotiations were had with the operators
10 bring about an acceptance of the de-
mands will probably be issued by
President Mitchell.
There was no surprise among the
miners today over the refusal OF the
operators to grant the proposal. for IL
IS the accepted belief in the region that
the operators are Indifferent whether
there is peace OF not. and in some quar-
ters It is openly limited that they ce-
sire strike. The situation is best put
today by an operator, who said that
when the convention met. President
Mitchell would be in a position 10 show
the delegates that he has made the
fight to the last ditch for the demands,
ard. despite tie fact that the operators
at first firmly refused to grant any OF
the demands. he finally forced them to
submit the main question, that of wages.
to arbitration
Miners With Mitchell
There was today some warm utter
ances among the more radical element Of
the miners. but in the main the majority
Of the miners are for peace. but viii fol-
low the direction OF John Mitchell 10
man.
New York and every anthracite con-
suming center will suffer from coal
shortage within three months. and coal
Will sell at the strike prices OF four
years ago II a strike Is declared, The
great storage supply. said 70 be 100000
tons which 1t was declared would last
far into next fall already shows inroads
made in 1t by the normal demand. which
must be supplied II the operators hope
TO maintain retail prices that existed in
the winter months.
Operators. through the region, admit
that the reserve supply will be exhaust
ed by the middle Of August in the event
Desultory Mining.
An investigation Of operations from
one end Of the region to :he other shows
that fifteen washeries are working. and
there is desultory mining OF coal in
nine collieries The amount OF coal
mined daily in the nine collier les woulC
not overhead an avera ge-siZed Office
building The Lackawanna has three
colIieries in operation with small
working force. The coIIieries are Belle
vue. CayuEa. and Brisbane, all in and
about Scranton The Erie Company is
mining some coal at the Barnum Col
liery at PittstOn, and a few men have
been set 10 work in the Clifford colliery
at Forest City, the Consolidated at
MOosiC. and number five at Dunmore
The Delaware and Hudson has resumed
operations on a small scale at the
Jermyn colliery, while an in35pan3o1t
company IS producing coal from the Ok
ord r,fff IN Ion mob.
coal Is being produced from these nine
collierfes. all Of them being in the
Wyoming or upper district. may be had
from an observation made by an opera
tor connected with a coal road who said
this morning:
All the coal we are getting from
the colHeries could be put in your eye
Our present production comes from
the washeries, which is used for steam
purposes To prevent a storage we
would have 70 break the strike"
Depend Upon Washeries.
The operators say that no real at
tempt viii be made TO operate col
lieries until a strike order is declared
The fifteen washeries now working
are producing about $4,000 tons Of coal
daily in steam sizes. The Lackawanna
is working FOUR washeries with a daily
output Of 5000 tons. while the Della
ware and Hudson production is $500
70 1000 tons at eight washerfeS. The
Lehtgh Valley has four wa sheries in
operation. with a daily. production or
1000 tons The Reading Company has
two washeries in operation at fremont
on the outer edge Of the coal region in
the SchuylkiN district. These two
washeries produce 1000 tons daily but
the Reading, 10 prevent trouble, is not
shipping the coal, but is storing II near
the waShery.
So complete and effective is the tie-up
Of this vast industry. employing 10000
men, under the suspension order. hat
not one ounce OF coal has been mined
or washed in the Lehigh district since
April / The only coal produced in the
lower, or ShuylkiN region, sometimes
known as No 9, is at the two fremont
washeries Of the Reading. Mt Carmel
MahOny City, Shenandoah. and Sha-
mOkin are doing nothing at the mines.
the large foreign population being
keenly watchful 10 see that there Is no
resumption of work. The only section
of the region producing coal is the
Wyoming district which is No ! OF
The miners union T D. Nichols IS at