The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-12-01
WILL FIGHT
M|NERS'DEMANDS
Operators to Insist on Renewal
Of ThTee-YeaT Agreement
EXPIRES ON APRIL |, 1909

Nine Owners In a Statement Declare
They viii Not Aeeede to Demands
o. Unlon-UphoId Cancellation Board
and Refuse to Collect Dues From
Workmen - Insist on Maintaining
Open Shop In the Anthracite Region.
New York, Nov. 30.-On behalf of
the anthracite coal operators. n state
ment was issued explaining the post
ton OF the operators with regard to tho
new working agreement to be entered
into when the present threoyear
agreement, based on the award Of the
strike commission OF 1902, which ex-
pires April next.
The operators declare that there Is
no possibility that they Will accede to
the demands which the United Mine
Workers OF America have decided
upon. but have not yet formally pre-
scented TO the operators.
The operators say they have been
given to understand that the miners
have drafted a new set OF demands,
which the miners union agreed To
waive In 1906. when the working
agreement was extended to March 81,
1909. The stand OF the operators will
be for a renewal of the agreement for
another three-year term. or longer
One OF the demands decided upon
by the miners union, which the oper-
ators say will be turned down with
out consideration. Is aimed 20 wipe out
the Cancellation board. established by
the strike commission 10 maintain
peace in the coal regions.
The Cancellation board Is composed
Of three representatives OF the miners
and three OF the operators, and has
been the principal cause OF harmony
In the coal regions in the last few
years. the operators say, and only a
few weeks ago 1t announced clean
docket since which time only one case
has been laid before it,.
The operators declare that but for
this board. which has considered per-
sonal grievances OF the miners. as well
as complaints from the union as a
whole, the last five years OF peace In
the anthracite district could not have
been brought about.
Another demand is that the oper-
ators collect the union dues from the
miners and turn them over to tho
union treasurers. thus relieving the un-
Ions OF the work.
The demand that the operators con-
stltute collecting agency for the I'M
ions. which would necessitate the hold
ing ont OF nearly $4,000 of the min
ers' wages every month. the operators
assert. Is little less than impudent and
will be fought vigorously.
Recognition Of the United Mine
Workers OF America. which also prom
ises to cause trouble, came before the
strike commission. which declined to
order an agreement between the oper-
ators and the organization.
The commission persisted in consid-
ering the mine workers as a whole
without regard to membership on non
membership in any organization. The
operators have held to this policy and
have kept the open shop" IN the an
thracite region,
The operators say that close to the
first two demands in importance Is
the period of duration of whatever
agreement Is entered into.
In demand No s the miners. rs In
1906. suggest one year The operators
say they cannot adopt any plan which
would bring out a renewal of the ne
COLLATION. with the miners every year.
with the possibility that they viii end
In a strike.
The third, fourth and fifth demands
in the list prepared by the miners
committee call for fewer hours, higher
wages and the payment Of contract
miners by weight exclusively These
questions were all decided by the
strike commission. which established
a sliding scale by which the miners
earnings increase whenever the price
OF coal to the consumer Is above GER
tain price.
BY the operation of this sliding
scale, since its adoption In 1908, the
operators say that labor has received,
in addition to the increased wages al
lowed by the commission, about
cents for every ton produced.
They say that in 1907 alone. when
70, 00O, 900 tons we're produced. the
benefit to labor by this arrangement
was s3.sO0,OOO.