Evening star., 1909-03-13
TO SETTLE ON PROGRAM
Men to Decide Question of Renewing
Present Agreement.
HOPE TO AVERT COAL STRIKE
Both Sides, However, Standing Firm
President Lewis Believed to Have
Fixed Upon Definite Program.


miners to take up the matter of a new
agreement with the operators will be
held in Scranton, Tuesday, March %.
The full membership of the executive
boards Of the three anthracite districts
of the United Mine Workers went into
session in Central Labor Union Hall today
to receive and act upon the report of the
subcommittee which had been in confer
ence with the operators for two days try
ing to arrange a new working agreement
to so into effect April /. The report was
brief. as all the members of the executive
boards were familiar with the details of
the conference.
The refusal of the operators to grant
the demands Of the men and the counter
proposition made by the employers to re-
new the present agreement for another
term of three years were fully discussed.
and the executive boards fixed the time
and place for the convention of miners as
stated. The proposition to continue the
agreement will be laid before the conven-
ton. The delegates to this convention will
be elected by the local unions next week.
Convention to Decide.
President Lewis declines to predict what
the outcome of the convention will be,
saying that the whole matter Is up to the
he has decided upon plan of action and
that the convention will carry this out.
DESPITE the "standpat'' attitude of both
sides there is still feeling that there will
be no serious interruption in the mining
Of anthracite coal.
Before going to the meeting of the ex-
ecutive boards Mr.. Lewis said:
The entire question now will go to the
Representatives of the United Mine Work
ers in a tridistrict convention to be held
in the near future. That convention Will
decide what is to take place. and what the
outcome will be on the 1st of April no one
can with any certainty predict at this
time. 1t will be for the United Mine
Workers in the anthracite coal fields to
decide this question. and. judging from the
sentiment among the men in the Scranton
convention last October. any arrangement
agreed upon will be between the oper-
ators' representatives and the representa-
tives of the United Mine Workers Of
America governing the anthracite coal
region
Statement of Both Sides.
After the conference adjourned yester-
day at :, o'clock the following was given
out as the Joint statement of the operators
and miners:
statement by the secretary for the
mine workers and the secretary for the
operators.
The joint meeting of the mine workers
committee and the operators committee
came to an end this afternoon tFriday)
without an agreement being reached.
Mr.. Lewis made another clear state
ment of the mine workers position. He
reviewed the various demands, giving spe-
cial emphasis to the question of recogni-
ton. He maintained that he and his COM
mittee represented the organized mine
workers. and that. if not !. recognized as
,{vof ion HOY
had no standing and could not venture to
sign a contract which would bind every
body. He said that the committee was
speaking strictly in the interests of the
anthracite districts, and was not at
+ tempting to subordinate the anthracite to
the bituminous interests.
The operators repeated their intention
to deal with the committee as representa-
tives of the anthracite mine workers. and
not as officers of the union. They re-
newed their offer to continue the present
agreement for a term of three years, and
this was their final proposition. Mr..
Lewis requested that ii be put in writ
ing. and the operators answered that it
could be considered an exact duplicate OF
the one made in 1906. They called atten-
ton to the number Of the page of tn :
minutes of the meetings in 1906 upon
| which the proposition appeared
1T was understood that another con-
ference would be held after Mr. Lewis and
his committee presented the operators
proposition to a convention of mine work
erS
Full Time in Mahanoy District.
Notice was posted late yesterday at
the col1ieries of the Reading Coal Com
pany in the Mahanoy region that. begin
! ming Monday, the mine would be worked
six days week. Since last September
the average working time at the mines
| has been few days a week. Speaking
of this. Delegate Giney OF Shamokin
said: 1t goes to show that the opera tors
are anxious to get as much coal out of
the ground as possible before March 81.
Until that time the men are bound by
| the agreement and must work, but after
that
Estimates of operators are that there
are now about 100000 tons of anthra-
ciie above ground. enough to last into
July next. These figures disputed,
and other operators place the stock on
hand low 100000 tons. The
United Mine Workers have investigated
and reported to a committee lately at
Scranton that only about 100000 tons
are on hand.
Lewis on New Work Order.
When President Lewis was asked his
opinion of the notice ordering full time
in the Mahanoy region. he said:
This could be regarded attempt
on the part of the operators to store up
coal in case of d serious disagreement
but | hardly regard it as such The
time is too short 10 be of any impor
tance. The mines have been working half
time since September. and at that have
piled up a big surplus stock. Ii is not
100000 tons. nor anything like that;
We know about what it is.
The operators today try to tell us
that the responsibility for lockout. if
one should occur. would rest upon the
men. But we made it clear to them that
the responsibility might be shifted to
their shoulders.
Suppose the men should continue
after April l without signing a three
year contract, but on the same scale of
wages and hours, we ask: Would the
operators close the mines? There. was
no mincing of words in the discussion.
and there will be some curious develop
ments within the next thirty days.
Both sides saved their faces on the
question Of the recognition Of the union.
The mine workers say that their presi-
dent was recognized when he was al
lowed to confer with the operators. as
he is not anthracite miner. The