El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-03-30
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sTATIsTICs OF COTNTRY,s

-
= crease in pay, seven-hour day =
= except Saturday when they are =
= willing to work but five hours, s
: and weekly payment on the =
= run OF the mine" basis =
= The anthracite miners demand =
= a 20 per cent increase, recog- :.
= milton Of the union and collec- =
= ton Of union dues by the oper- .
: ators in deductions from the in :
= diTidual miners pay an eight :
= hour day. g contract for one year e
= instead OF three, payment for =
= mining coal by the ton Instead Of =
:. by the carload, minimum wage =
= guarantee irreSp ective Of the :
= amount OF coal mined, and abOu- :
. ton Of the Cancellation board :.
representing both miners and OPP :
: orators :
: {. + = : = :. :. :. :. :. :. :. :. :. :
New York, y. Y, March so.-At
midnight tomorrow night the greatest
coal strike in the country's history
viii be on. Practically every one OF
the soc, 900 bituminous miners and the
200, 600 anthracite miners in the Unit
ed states VIII quit work at that tine
and Join causes with their 100, 009
brothers who have been on strike
in England
the operators and the anthracite min
ers, made IN 1903 and renewed IN
1906 ana 1903, expires officially to-
morrow and the agreement OF the hi
luminous miners runs ont at the
same time Technically neither
branch Of the miners will be on
strike, no strike having been off
cialiy declared, but the expiration OF
the contract means that the men must
abandon work until a new one Is form
ulated, which amounts in result to the
same thing as an officially called
strike The men viii be out until new
~ an
may De few days a Few weeks, or
several months.
With British conditions not yet
completely restored to the normal and
English dealers for American coal the
situation Is one that can hardly be
Bill Before House.
Even congress has taken cogniZance
Of the crisis, and bill Is now before
the house providing for extension OF
the Erdman act to compel arbitra-
ton OF coal disputes, as IL now com
pels arbitration OF Interstate railroad
troubles. The bill was introduced by
representative Lee Of Pennsylvania and
is sponsored BY speaker Champ Clark.
PRESIDENT Tart Is standing ready 10
interfere in event tsssJ IL seems i'm
possible that the operators and min
ers viii come 70 an agreement soon
Two weeks ago he arranged for a
conference with president J Ohm p.
White Of the United Nine workers
and George F. Baer chairman OF the
operators committee, but II was
called of when Developments tempo
rarlly made II appear likely that the
contending elements could settle their
grievances among themselves ami
cably
The conferences of president White.
on the side Of both bituminOus and an
thracite miners with chairman Baer
OF the anthracite operators commit
tee and chairman J. Kolsen OF the
bituminOus operators committee, at
New York and Cleveland respectively
have not yet been finally terminated.
Iney VIII be continued until agree
ments are reached, or until such
time as ii becomes certain that no
agreement can be reached. in which
case an Official strike declaration VIII
be issued, and the opposing sides
would then begin a fight to the finish
BY means OF their strongest weapons
such an eventuality would add ire
mendously TO the dangerous import
OF the situation.
The bitumiaous miners demand a
10 percent increase OF pay, seven
hOur day except Saturday, when they
are willing 10 work only five hours.
and weekly payment on the run OF
the mine basis. The bltuminous Op-
orators on the other hand, demand
that the wages Of the miners be re-
duced 10 percent
The case Of the anthracite men Is
10 grant the slight concession OF a
percent Increase IN wages. according
TO unofficial statements of individual
operators, but they are sternly set
against abe miners demands as
whole The anthracite miners demand
numerous concessions. but chief
among them are their insistence on
~ per cent Increase, recognition OF
the union BY the operators and the
collection OF union dues by the Oper-
ators IN deductions from the wages
OF the employees, an eight hour day
tnrees a minimum wage guarantee OF
SS-5O a DAY for miners and 1915 for
labOrers, payment for mining coal by
the ton instead Of by the carload no
interrerenfe with the check Weighmen
ana docking bosses representing the
miners, ana abandonment Of the Con-
citation board. on which both miners
and operators are represented.
All VIII Strike.
Untll these questions between min
ers and operators are settled defin-
lteIy ana new contracts entered into,
the miners VIII be out. and the pro
QucLlon OF coal Will be prevented
While hardly half OF the miners are
members OF the union, all VIII strike,
according 70 precedent the nOn-uniOn
men always standing by their union
brothers IN the case of past disputes
IN this country.
The stOppage OF the coal supply will
be the most serious economic event
that has occurred in this country for
years, especially because OF the I'M
usually small amounts now IN storage
The long and severe winter depleted
the emergency supplies. and there is
now very little on hand. a liberal es-
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