El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-03-23
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country is face to face with the great
est coal strike in its history. Unless me
unexpected happens and the operators
and miners arrive at some compromise
in the meantime, 10000 anthracite
miners viii quit work on Marcn 81 d
week from tomorrow, and according TO
president John P White, of the United
Mine Workers Of America 100000 Dl-
luminous miners viii walk out with
them
This would result in stopping the
coal supply Of practically the entire
world, with the British and German
nationwide strikes simultaneously IN
pl Ogress The demands Of the bitumin-
GUS miners viii be taken up in an eleT-
enth hour conference which begins IN
Cleveland Monday.
The agreemen under which the an
thracite miners have been working for
the last nine years expires at noon o.
March 81 If no new agreement Is
reached by that time, the strike viii
begin automatically, unless all neSo-
tlations between the representatives OF
operators and miners are broken OF
entirely beforehand, in which case the
strike viii be directly and definitely
ordered by the union officials.
Would Mean Paralysis of Industry.
a coal strike Of only a Few weeks
Tould mean the paralysis Of every in
dustry dependent upon coal, including
railroads, factories. steamboats,, electric
light power and gas companies, entire
cities viii be plunged into darkness
and business IN general Will comes 10
q standstiu in event that the strike
should last for any number or months,
the total loss TO miners, operators and
business in general would amount to
close to the almost unbelievable sum Of
slO0,OO0,0O0
All of the demands Of the miners Tor
changes In the existing agreement have
been fatty refused by the operators,
VINO on their part have offered cOun
ter propositions that amount practical
Is to the same provisions as the old
agreement The miners demand a 20
percent increase in wages, recognition
OF the union and that the operators col
lect the unions dues from the miners,
by deducting them from their wages:
IN eight hour day, guaranteed mini
mum wage, payment by the ton instead
OF by the carload; adjustment or the
Cancellation board, which is composed
Of both miners and operators, ana that
the new a~Teement be for one year in
stead OF for three, as the operators
insist
slim Chance Of Agreement.
Conferences between the representa-
tiTes Of miners and operators have not
yet been abandoned, but there Is be
IeTed to be practically no chance that
the two sides can come together on the
points at issue President White Of
the United Mine Workers, and other
representatives of the MIXERS VIII con-
fer again next week in this city with
the committee of anthracite operators
which is composed Of president George
i. Baer, Of the Philadelphia and Read
ing fchatrman). E B. Thomas. presi-
dent Of the Lehigh Valley; J. S. Trues-
dale, Of the Delaware, LackaWanna and
Western T. D. Underwood, of the
Erie; j. T. LOree, Of the Delaware and
Hudson. Norris Williams Of the Sus-
/ Quehanna Coal company; Joseph P.
Dick son, Of Dickson & Eddy; J. L
Cake Of the Clearfield Coal company;
Alvan sMarkle, OF Markle Bros, indie
pendent operators, and Percy 9. Ma
Qeir2. of Madeira. Hill e ca
While each side is trying TO arrange
an advantageous settlement OF the is
sues arising between miners, both sides
are preparing for strike or suspension
Of operation on April 1. StOckades are
t'eing built around some Of the Penn
syiVdnia mines, not only to protect me
coal already mined, but to protect the
men VINO DO not care to go out on
strike at the dictate Of the union, to
which only 20 percent Of the mine
workers belong. It IS history that, in
event Of strike, most OF the nOnunion
men ga LneF under the union IOlQs
which would mean that practically all
Of the miners would be on strike, but
some Of them will remain at work; &C
cordinSly the operators are preparing
TO protect these.
BituninOus Strike Imminent.
What is true of the anthracite field
/ In eastern Pennsylvania is also true Of
the bitumlnous fields in western Penn q
sylVanla, ONO, indiana and Illinois as
well as in the % states in which soft
coal is mined because for the first
time the agreements u the hard coal
miners and the soft coal miners end on
tie same day IL heretofore, these agree
ments expired year apart and there
fore when the hard coal men were
Z striking. the soft coal men were mining
coal, and vice versa Consequently the
situation was nothing like as serious
as IT viii be in the event that strike
{ row threatened eventuates.
The biruminOus miners are. ike the
anthracite miners, also fighting for
{ higher wages Recently they asked Tor
/ a 10 percent increase in wages and
we're met with a cut Of 10 percent.
I Their discomfort in some quarters
/ against the operators is greater even
than that Of the anthracite workers
President White. Of the Nine Work
ers- declared today that he was still
[ hoping that the operators would give IN
/ AT the last moment. but said he believed
I there was practically no chance OF it,
I and that If looked as if the weIkout
would have to occur
As to the possibility Of the negoti-
Z atoms being completely broken off he
would not commit himself. bug he said,
eff strike is ordered it win be a big
( one
Emergency Supplies Stored.
In practically every instance fhe mine
owners and operators have cevoted all
! energies during the last two months
toward getting emergency supplles 81
coal stored to provide against the ext
r-aucfne Of strike Miners no. 4rara