Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-12-21
COAL PEACE-BOARD
ISSUES A REPORT

New York. Dec. 2I.-Thc board
OF Cancellation. established by the
Anthracite str Ike commission 20 set
tie disputes between the mine work
ers and the operators, has issued a
rtpor; covering the first three years
OF is work. The volume contains
1886 pages and gives full account
of the boards activities n the way OF
mediation.
In the forthcoming discussion be-
tween the operators and the mine
workers This record IL the conc liza
ton board will take an important
part; the tribunal will cease TO ex-
st after April l II the miners win
their point. One OF The demands re-
Gently submitted to the union con-
ference at Scranton calls for the abb
o ition OF the board.
AT The end OF the report Is a sum-
mary showing the disposition OF the
cases that came up for decision. One
hundred and fifty complaints were
submitted in the three years OF
these fourteen were pending at the
end of tho third year, leaving one
hundred and thirty-six dispos d of
within the period covered by the re-
port. Seventy-four were mot sus-
tanned" or withdrawn, eleven were
sustained, eight were partially sus-
tained or compromised, and four
teen were settled through the infiu-
ence OF the board. Nine grievances
submitted by men who thought en-
ployment had been refused them un-
justly, were not susta ned, but the
| board recommended that employ
ment be given to them. OF the
twenty grievances passed upon by
an umpire, four y re sustained.
In the time that has passed since
The figures were gathered for this
official report, the complaints have
been much less frequent than Sney
Were before. This is taken as an
Indication that the feeling between
the mine workers and the operators
has improved. The records of the
board, from tn. time of it's forma-
tlon up to date, show a total of 172
cases, so that only % complaints
have been received since March 81,
1906, against $50 before them.
The Cancellation board Is compos-
ed of three rerrs sentatives of the
operators. The scope OF it's work
was broadly defined by the anthra-
cite strike commission, and the
board itself adopted set of rules to
govern procedure. Any mine work
er in the entire region. if he thinks
he has grievance, and has failed
to obtain satisfaction from the Off
cial directly over him, may ay his
grievance before the board W.T.
nesses are called, evidence is taken
and opportunity is gwen to each
side 20 present arguments. A ma
| jority vote of the board is suffi-
Gent for a verdict. If there is an
even split OF the six members, the
case is referred to an umpire APP
pointed by judge OF the third fed
eral circuit. The umpires dec sion
is final.
Recently the board announced a
clean docket, having disposed of all
the cases laid before it.
In the spring CT 1906, when the
award of the strike commlss on ex
| PRED the miners committee demand
ed that the conc liation board be
done away with. ThCy proposed an
other scheme, by which the region
would be divided into districts and
a series of minor arbitration trib-
unals created. To this the operators
replied by reviewing the work Of
the board, calling attention to the
dispatch with which it had disposed
OF grievances and to the peaceful
conditions which 1t had brought
about. The result was that the
award Of the strike commission was