The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1910-04-08
COAL OPERATORS WILL NOT
IMPORT STRIKE BREAKERS

Kansas City, Mo, April 2.-Pending
the proposed meeting, next week Of
the operators and miners, little change
in the strike situation In the south.
ern district is looked for. according
to early reports today, from the effect
ed districts in Missouri, Kansas. ok.
lahoma and Arkansas, where every.
think is quiet.
Several operators here today de-
cided that they would meet in Kan.
sas City Monday. next and make
plans for joint conference with the
miners, President Keith OF the op-
orators, today, says the operators
have no present intention OF import
ing men to take the miners places.
Kansas City, Mo, April 2. - The
strike OF the coal miners has caused
the operators TO show signs Of fight.
The members Of the Coal Operators
association of the Southwestern dis.
trict will meet in Kansas City Tues.
day or Wednesday OF next week to
discuss plans for breaking the strike
which closed Thursday the AIS mines
in this district, representing an I'M
vestmentof 100 million dollars. Should
the miners keep TO their demands for
a 15 per cent increase In wages after
the 6O-day supply of coal now on hand
is exhausted 1t is probable that the
coal operators will employ nonunion
miners to take the places of the thirty
five thousand strikers That might
lead to rioting and bloodshed through.
out the mining territory Of Missouri,
Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, the
states comprising the Southwestern
district.
There is. of course, a chance that
the miners will not listen to us"
Charles S. Keith, president of the
Coal Operators association of the
Southwestern district and of the Cen.
tral Coal and Coke company, said yes
terday, and such case We will be
forced to import men to break the
strike.
THE method by which such a sltua-
tion may be averted is by hammering
1t into the miners that the operators
cannof pay them an increase and re-
main in business. Coal mines of the
southwestern district are at the pres.
ent scale Of prices paying a small en-
ough return on the great amount of
money invested, and we cannot pay
the miners an increase without in.
creasing the price OF coal This we
would do except for the fact that, in
that case, practically all the present
consumers of coal In this territory
would at once begin to use oil and gas
as fuel and leave us without mar
ket.
They get us both ways. If we
raise the price of coal we are forced
out of business and lose an invest
ment Of 100 million dollars. II we
don't raise the mineis wages, and of
necessity the price Of coal, our min
ers strike and the mines are idle.
AT the meeting of the operators
next week there is no doubt that many
plans for bringing the strike to an
end will be discussed, but the Import
ing Of strikers seems the only plaus.
ible one. One thing. however, IS GER
tain, and that is that the meeting will |
be strictly executive"
Pittsburg, Kans, April g. The
length of time which the coal mines |
viii remain closed will depend on the
actions Of the operators and miners
next week A meeting between the
miners and operators of the three
districts will be held In |
Kansas City This meeting will not
be for the purpose Of trying to make
a scale, but to ascertain II the opera |
tors are ready 10 go into an interstate |
to negotiate for scale |
on the basis Of that proposed at the
Cincinnati convention If the opera
tors do not seem to be willing TO en- |
ter into any negotiations, the next
move taken will be for the miners to
sign up with all Independent com
panies which means those who do not
belong to the Southwestern Miners
association The independent opera
tors will be given a chance TO sign up
IN the proposition submitted at the (
Cincinnati convention