The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-19
COAL STRIKE
SEEMS NEAR
10000 Miners in Anthracite
Regions May Go Out
DEMAND 20 PER CT. INCREASE
"No Concessions Say Big Operators
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of Each Side to
Have 1t Out at Conference in
N. Y. Next Week.
DEMAND 20 PER CT. INCREASE

Wilkesbarre, Feb. l9--On Feb. 81 tht
anthracite mine workers special com.
mittee will present to the operators in
New York City demands for a new work.
ing contract, and upon the operators an
swer hinges the question whether there
viii be strike of the 10000 mine
workers of the hard coal region.
! If such a strike is declared it will
affect not only these 100000 mine work
ers, but many thousands of raiIroadcrs.
teamsters and others, and will deprive
| the coal region of wages amounting to
about $l0,000.G00 a month.
/ The mine workers have for the last
nine years been working under an agree
ment made by the Roosevelt strike COM
mission, appointed in 1902. 1t was ior
three years and has been twice renewed.
IT granted the mine workers 10 per
cent. increase in wages and a nine-hour
day, with a sliding scale based on the
sale price of coal at tidewater The lat
ter has given them an average monthly
advance in wages of almost per cent.
They now demand a 20 per cent. in
crease in wages, an eight hour day, rec,
ogniton of the union and, incidentally.
collection by the coal companies of the
union dues from the mine workers; abo.
lition of the Cancellation board; payment
for mined coal yoweight instead of by
the carload, oneyear agreement and
some minor concessions.
These demands were adopted at con
vention held in PottsvilIe early last fall.
and the national convention of mine
workers held at indianapolis last month
did not change them,
The demands will be presented by n
committee consisting of National rresi-
dents Dempsey, Kennedy and Fahy They
will be accompanied BY other officers so
that they may be on hand for any ex
tended conference that the operators may
desire.
The operators will be represented by
President George F. Baer of the Phila-
delphia and Reading Coal company, who
was their chief spokesman and leader
during the seven months strike of 1902
The operators are saying as they al
ways do before demands are presented,
that they will grant the mine workers no
concessions Mine workers declare with
equal positiveness that they will strike
unless their demands are granted.
As for the abolition of the Cancellation
board, demand which has aroused more
criticism in the coal region than any 9th
er, because the board has been generally
considered the chief factor in preventing
strikes and preserving harmonious rela
tons between the operators and the EN-
ployes, the mine workers say that its
method of settling disputes is too slow
and is far from satisfactory.
The operators, realizing that there
would be the threat of strike when |
the agreement expires on March 81, be- |
gan preparing for it last summer. and
they say they are better prepared TO |
fight strike now than ever before. |
Since last summer the operators have
mined all the coal possible to get ont |
they would have taken out more. they /
say. had the miners been as willing TO I
work as the companies are. Most Of the |
men. however. so the operators charge, |
remain away from work several days OF
each month, following pay days and hol-
idavs. Nevertheless the coal companies I
have placed several million tons in their
big storage yards, and in addition have
been filling the storage bins of coal deal
srs in various cities outside the coal
regions.
Therefore the operators are confident
hat they can beat the workers in event
If strike The say they are not afraid
II the political situation and that there
will be no political interference this
line.