The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-03-25
(NatIonai News Association)

tNationai News Association)
NEW YORK, March 25.--.The coun-
try II face to face with the greatest
coal strike in its history. Unless the
unexpected happens and the operators
and miners arrive at some cOmpro-
mise In the meantime. 10000 anthra-
cite miners will quit work on March
81. and. according to President John p.
White. Of the United Mine Workers Of
America. 10000 bituminous miners
will walk tut with them.
This would result in stopping the
coal supply OF practically the entire
world, with the British and German
nationwide strikes simultaneously in
progress.
The agreement under which the an
thracite miners have been working for
the last nine years expires at nou., Oh
March 81. II no new agreement Is
reached by that time. the strike will
begin automatically. unless all negotia.
lions between the representatives Of
operators and miners are broken off
entirely beforehand. in which case the
strike will be directly and definitely
ordered by the union officials.
A coal strike Of only a few weeks
would the paralysis of every in.
dustry dependent upon coal, including
railroads. factories, steamboats,. cleo.
trio light, power and gas companies,
entire cities will be plunged into
darkness Inc business in general will
come to a standstill. In ven that the
strike should asst for any number OF
months. the total loss to miners. ope-
rators. and business in general would
amount to close to the almost unbe-
lievable sum Of 500, OOO. 900.
All OF the demands of the miners for
changes in the existing agreement
have been fatty refused by the opera
tors. who on their part have offered
counter propositions that amount prac-
tically to the same provisions as the
old agreement. The miners demand a
twenty per Ger increase in wages;
recognition OF the union and that the
operators collect the union dues from
the miners. by deducting them from
their wages: an eight-hour day. a guar
anteed minimum wage. payment by
the ton instead of by the carload; abol.
ishment Of the Cancellation Board.
which Is composed of both miners and
operators, and that the new agree.
ment be for one year instead Of for
three. as the operators insist.
Not Vet Abandoned.
Conferences between the representa-.
tives of miners and operators have not
yet been abandoned. but there is be-
lieved 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 miners. will confer again this
week In this city with the committee
Of Anthracite operators. which is COM
posed of President George F. Baer. of
the Philadelphia and Reading (chair-
mani: f.. B. Thomas, president of the
L.ehiGh Valley; J. s. T%ruesdale. of the
Delaware. Lackawanna and Western;
+. ID. Underwood. of the Erie; ]. F.
Loree. Of the Delaware and Hudson;
Morris Williams, of the Susquehanna
Coal Co.: Joseph =. Dickson, Of Dick
son and Eddy: J. l., Cake, Of the Clear
field Coal Co.; Alvan Markle, OF
Markle Bros. independent operators.
and Percy G. Madeira. Of Madeira,
Hill and Co.
While each side Is trying to arrange
a n advantageous settlement Of the is.
sues arising between miners, both
sides are preparing for a strike or sus-
pension Of operation on April 1. Stock.
AIDES are being built around some Of
the Pennsylvania mines. not only to
protect the coal already mined. but to
protect the men who do not care to
70 out OH strike at the dictate of the
union. to which only twenty per cent
OF the mine workers belong. 1t is his.
tory that, In event OF a strike, OF
the non.union men gather under the
union fold. which would mean that
practically all Of the miners would be
on strike, but some Of them will re.
main ut work; accordingly the opera
tors are preparing to protect these.
indiana 10 Affected.
What IL true of the anthracite field
In Eastern Pennsylvania 10 also true
Of the bituminous fields in Western
Pennsylvania, Ohio. Indiana and ILL
nois. ~ well ~ In the twenty-eight
states In which soft coal Is mined. be.
cause for the first time the agree
ments Of the hard coal miners and the
soft coal miners end On the same day.
Heretofore. these agreements expired
. year apart and therefore when the
hard coal men yer striking. the soft
coai men were mining coal. and vice
versa. Consequently the situation was
nothing like as serious as 1t will be
IN tho event that strike now threat.
ened e~ventuates.
The bituminous miners are. like the
anthracite Nine aleO fighting for