The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-03-12
MINE WORKERS
STRIKE A SNAC
ANTHRACITE OPERATORS FLAT.
LY REFUSE TO GRANT ANY
OF THEIR DEMANDS.
COUNTER proposition
Operators Want present Agreement
Continued Three Years-ExpireS
March 31--Miners Do
Not Want Strike.

Philadelphia, Pa, March 1.-THE
anthracite coal operators met the
committee of the hard coal workers
here today and fatty refused to frani
the men any demands they laid be
fore them and at the same time pro
posed to them that the present agree
ment, which will expirt March 3h
will be renewed for three years
This decision was not unexpected by
the mine workers, as they had Ions
ago learned that the operators were
against making any concessions. Ma
tional President Lewis, of the Mine
Workers, declined TO comment on the
developments of the day beyond stat
ing that he and his commtteemcr
will meet to discuss the situation
The miners will meet the operators
again tomorrow afternoon.
Formal announcement made fol
the benefit of the public was con
tanned in the following statement
agreed on by both sides
THE committee of seven repre-
sentatives of the Anthracite Mine
Workers and a committee of seven
representatives of the anthracite
operators held a Joint meeting in the
Reading terminal building this after
neon to discuss the mine workers
demands. These demands are the
same that were drafted in Scranton
last October.
Operators declined to accede to
demands The chief reason offered for
the rejection was that any increase
In the cost of production would neces
state an advance in the price of coal
and that such an advance was i'm
practicable. The operators said the
wages in the anthracite mining in
dustry were already at 3. high level
and could not be increased. The an.
nouncement of operators was fol
lowed by free discussion of the
various demands, each side stating
It's views fully in regard thereto. The
operators declared their unwilling
ness to reopen the eight ohur day
question and other questions pass d
upon by the anthracite strike com
mission in 1902. They also declared
themselves opposed to the mine
workers proposition for a one year
agreement,
They declined to recognize the
United Mine Workers of America
chiefly on the ground that It was con
trolled by bituminous workers. They
said they met Lewis and his commit
tee as representatives of the an
thracite mine workers and not as
officers of the union. The officers
called upon the report of the strike
commission to support their refusal
10 deal with the UNITED Mine Work
crs.
AT the end of the discussion the
operators made a definite proposition
to renew the present agreement for
n term of three years"
The present agreement made in
New York three years ago, when
John Mitchell led the miners in the
N'SOtldiibilN, IL tltItltdl WIFI lnt
award of the strike commission made
IN 1903, after the strike of 1902
Three years ago the miners made
numerous demands but all were re-
iected and they accepted renewal
of the strike commission award
which is the same position again
maintained by the operators today.
While Lewis has not announce
what he will do it is believed that he
had prepared himself for the result
of today's conference and that he
will impart his intention to his feI
low committeeman and perfect the
details of the next move before they
again go into conference tomorrow
afternoon. NE n
Those who have followed the trend
of affairs in the anthracite region
believe II would be uselss for the
msners to further insist upon an,
material change in the present agree
ment and il is expected that the min
ers' committee will call convention
from three districts to take up the
operators refusal and counter-prcpo
sition What the outcome will be is
a matter of conjecture.
As far as could be learned from
the miners TODAY the majority of the
workers are opposed to strike. he
cause they fell that they are NO
strongly enough intrenchel to carry
on campaign of the magnitude o.
that of 1900 and 1902.