Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-03-28
Indications Are That
Operators viii Con-
cede AT Last Moment

know this paper can announce
hit in all probability the United
Zinc workers will secure an advance
n wages for the mine workers in the
b.tumlnous regions. 1t is even pos
.;bI. that the whole advance asked,
n cents per ton, may be granted.
,sTe latest conference is still in
progress in Cleveland, at the time Of
aoing 70 press, and no conclusion has
a. vet been reached, the operators
annarently standing aut fatty for
tho ten DER cent reduction they have
demanded. This has all along been
GENERAL y recognized, however, as 2
bluff to offset the mine workers de-
mands But it is known that the op-
orators most strenuous objection is
in the run of the mine basis" At
nresent the miners are paid for only
the coal that does not fail through
an acknowledgements screen. In the
demands they include the contention
that they should be paid for all coal
mined 1t is estimated that 43 per
cent of the coal mined falls through
the screen, and this the miners re-
ceive no pay for. At the last session
Of the Ohio legislature Senator Will
liam Green, coal miner, introduced
bill compelling all coal operators
inf the state to pay their employees
ld all coal mined, but this failed Of
passage by one vote, Senator Purin-
ton Of the Eastern Ohio district Vot-
ing against it.
1t is now believed that If the min
ers recede. from their demand for
payment ON the run of the mine ba-
SIS that the operators will grant the
other demands, including the ten per-
cent straight advance and the short
ening of the hours of labor, by stop
ping work at noon Saturday.
The Anthracite Situation.
The anthracite situation presents
a different condition. There they are
asking for a ten per cent advance,
the abolition of the. arbitration COM
mission appointed by Roosevelt un-
der the Erdman act, and the scale
to be fixed annually instead of ev-
cry five years as at present. They
claim that every decision of the
Roosevelt commission has made It
harder for them to get a living out
Of the mines, and that five years is
entirely too long for a fixed wage
scale, as the cost of living can
change materially in that time. The
anthracite operators are far more
inhuman than the ordinary run-of-
mine operators, and led by Baer. who
claims to be a coal mine owner by
divine right, and backed by the
railroad companies that own the
mines, they refuse to concede a sin
gle thing to the miserably underpaid
employees. "a
Suspension Likely.
So strike in the anthracite fields
is absolutely certain. And even
though the bituminous operators
grant their miners demands, a sus-
pension of work will be likely, as the
-thirty-two representatives of the min
eFs. can only recommend, and there
must be a referendum vote of the
miners themselves before any scale
can be ratified. The only escape
from suspension would be an
agreement to work pending the de-
cision of the referendum vote,
-ON
Americas Impending Coal Strike
Washington, March 27.-With the
representatives of the United Mine
Workers of America unable to reach
a satisfactory agreement in the bt
luminous and anthracite fields, indi
cations are that at the expiration Of
tne present agreement, March 81, 9
general cessation of work viii en-
sue President Taft recently request
Cd John Mitchell. land a representa-
1--WE Of the hard coal operators te
meet in conference at the White
mouse, but after the invitations were
extended they were recalled and ns
conference is to take place at pres
saI To sum up the entire mattel
Il is probable that no agreement vii
De reached until considerable time
mas elapsed after q general cessa
uon OF work. AS near as can be de
'efmined. if work ceases, between
oVV'OOO and 100000 coal miners vii
Oe Idle, although with such a gener
al cessation of work this numbe
may be largely increased by the min
ers In other and non-union field
seasing work as consequence o
@s general disaffectIon due to loz
- oOETTNUUn nN Uacw -.