New-York tribune., 1912-03-15
White, Their Leader, Says Strike Will Fol-
low Unless Operators Yield by March
81 at the Latest.
PRICES ARE ALREADY UP HERE
Millions Facing Hunger in Great Britain Negotiations
to End Struggle There Go On-Begian
Trouble Probably Averted-
More Germans Out.

When the anthracite mine workers
meet the operators at the meeting TO-
dav John T. White. president OF Tue
limited Mine Workers will announce
that his committee has no compromise
proposition to offer.
.'If a strike is to be averted,' he SAID
last night, lit must be by new move
nm the part of the operators. 1t is up
to them now. and II there is no compro-
mise on their part the country will be
face TO face with the biggest coal strike
in it's history. Unless before midnight
of March 81 the operators submit
compromise acceptable to the miners all
work in the anthracite districts VIII
he suspended on April l. There VIII ne
no need to order strike. The men VIII
quit"
He said there was a possibility that
bitlminCus miners strike would oe
averted. Everything depended on the
conference between the committee ot
the miners and the operators in Cleve-
land on Wednesday over the miners de-
mands
Retail coal prices to apartment houses
hotels. laundries. bakeries and restau-
rants will be increased % cents ton
this morning by the retail coal dealers
in Manhattan and The Bronx. No
change has been made in the price of
coal for family use, the price remain
ing SO 80 ton, as it has been since last
September.
The committee of the anthracite miners
occupied a good part of the day yester-
day at the Victoria Hotel in preparing an
answer to the reply of the operators re-
fusing the demands. The answer is TO
be made public as soon as it is given to
the operators committee. The miners
committee, President White said, found
nothing in the reply of the operators but
praise and defence OF the. award OF the
Anthracite Strike Commission appointed
ten years ago by President Roosevelt.
He also said that a policy committee
representing the miners in eight states
had been appointed at recent conven-
tion Of the union. with power to declare
the policy to be pursued when strikes
we're inevitable. This committee will
meet In Cleveland on March 25. when
the conferences over the demands both
of the anthracite and bituminous miners
will be over and take action on the
result of the conferences.
The following is part Of statement
in reference to the chances OF a strike
issued yesterday on behalf Of the opera
tors committee Of ten:
Reports from the local officials of the
principal mining companies In the anthra-
cite. region are TO the effect that no general
dissatisfaction exists among the body OF
mine workers. Only small proportion of
them are members of the United Mine
Workers of America, and the Information
gathered by forenen and other representa-
tyes Of the companies is that the majority
OF the men are opposed TO any interruption
OF work. which has been steadier in the last
In his report on Anthracite Coal Produc-
ton in 1910" which was briefly quoted yes
terday In the operators reply, Il. w. Parker,
of the United States Geological Survey, a
member of the strike commission of 1902.
gave the average number of working days
year in the five years from 1906 TO 1910 as
40 an increase of q per cent over the
1901. g
Information is received to-day that the
Pennsylvania Department of Mines has now
gathered sufficient data to estimate the
number of working days In 1911 at 24O.
This is an increase Of As per cent over the
average from 1897 TO 1901. so that last year
the mine workers had the opportunity 10
Increase their total earnings to that extent
over the l@7-190l period, entirely aside from
the advances In rates of wages and the
benefits from the sliding scale.
There was a feeling yesterday among
coal dealers that the operators might
offer the anthracite miners part of the
increase in wages demanded 10 avert a
strike. 1t is believed that the mine
workers would be more likely to strike
for higher wages than for recognition of
the union.
statement sent out yesterday by the
press representatives Of the operators
calls attention to the sliding scale. II
says that President White of the United
Mine Workers has been quoted as saying
that the mine workers under this scale
"getOnly one cent out of every five cents
IN The price of coal above 81 30 ton"
and that the operators get at least four
cents to our one cent
The statement says that Mr.. White
states the operation Of the sliding scale
incorrectly
~ Is not cent as he says" the
s'atemest goes OH. but | per cent that
! ddded 10 the miners pay. Since the
idpor cost Of producing a ton of anthra
'te Is 81 80. the advance in the mine
mprkers pay means one cent and half.
ms rs paid on the whole production,
ana instead of being small fraction OF
share"