The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-03-29
'D|D NOT AGREE
BUT WENT HOME
In a Good HumOr For Next
Meeting
WHICH WILL OCCUR ON APRIL 4
Statement From the Operators
Sets Forth Their Views of
the Situation.
A SETTLEMENT Is EXPECTED

The Louisville Evening Post of
Saturday says:
Nearly all of the Western Ken
lucky miners and most of the opera
tors who came to Louisville several
days ago to make an effort to agree
on wage scale for a term of three
years, have returned to their homes,
and nothing more will be done until
the Joint Scale Committee resumes
its session here April 4.
Despite the fact that the negotia-
lions up to the adjournment Friday
proved the operators and miners to
be far apart, the representatives of
both sides went home still hopeful
that some way will be found to
reach an agreement.
AS far as terms are concerned no
change has developed from the posi-
ton taken by either side. The mi
ners ask an increase of per cent.
in time work and fiat increase of
cents a ton in mine run work. The
crease of any kind impossible, but
that the mines cannot be operated
unless the wage scale is reduced and
reduction of 20 per cent. is pro-
posed.
The operators contend that if
wages are decreased it will be posi-
bic TO provide much more constant
employment for the miners and that
the income of the miners will be
larger, taking in whole year. At
present the miners work only thirty
weeks in year and a number of
mines have been closed since the in
crease of wages in 1912.
The miners admit that something
must be done to encourage the re-
opening of closed mines and to in
sure more steady work in the other
mines but do not believe a reduc-
ton of wages will help.
An encouraging sign Friday was
that both operators and miners left
the conference in good humor. No
bad feeling has developed and this
fact causes general optimism of a
final agreement.
Operators Statement.
The following official statement
was given out by the Western Ken
lucky Coal Operators Association:
At this mornings session of the
Joint Scale Committee an adjourn
ment was asked by the miners until
April 4, at which time We have
agreed to meet them and discuss
further a wage question for the
next year. The miners have asked
an increase of cents per ton fiat.
with per cent. on day labor and
dead work. The operators, on the
other hand, have asked for 30 per
cent. straight reduction on all labor
in the production of coal.
The arguments used by the mi
ners, that advances have been made
in fields north of the Ohio river, can
have no bearing in our case, due to
the fact that we are not in any
sense competitors with that field.
Our markets are entirely in the
South. and are covered by our nom
union competitors on the same or
more favorable freight rate basis as
our field. therefore we can only be
with competitors with |
whom We come in contact in the |
markets that We both reach.
The high cost of living is urged
by the miners as another reason for
an increase in wages. which we
might justly admit under normal
but placed as we are un-
der such competitive restrictions,
this question must be considered
from every viewpoint, those touch
Ing the employer as well as employe.
The material entering into equip
ment. general repair work. necessa-
~ supplies about the mines have
advanced within the last twelve
months from 25 to 800 per cent. We
that the problem of the high
cost of living can be more substan-
tally met for the miner by accept
ng a decrease in wages with its con-
'equent increase in tonnage than by
The miners demanding an increase