New-York tribune., 1919-10-16
Miners Head Departs for
Capital to Meet Cabinet
Member and Operators
Chief After Issuing Call
Settlement Effort
To Be Made Friday
Only Mine Owners Can
Avert NatiOn-WideBlow
Now, Declares Lewis

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 Secretary
OF Labor Wilson announced to-nipht
mat ne had assumed jurisdiction under
the law as mediator in the contro-
versy between the coal miners and
operators of the central competitive
helds, which has resulted in a call by.
the United Mine Workers Of America
for strike on November /.
Secretary Wilson said that both John
L. Lewis. acting president of the
United Mine Workers. and Thomas I.
Brewster, president Of the Coal Oper-
ators' Association, had accepted his in
vitation to confer with him and that
the conference would be held here
Friday.
The action OF the Labor Secretary
to bring about settlement OF the dis
pute between the miners and operators
is to be undertaken under Section
OF the law creating the Department
OF Labor, which provides that "the
Secretary of Labor shall have power
to act as mediator and to appoint com
nissioners Of conciliation whenever in
his judgment the interests of indus
trial peace may require it to be DONE
Peril Forces Action
intervention as a mediator in the
proposed strike without awaiting a re-
quest from one of the parties to the
controversy, as is the usual policy
of the Labor Department. was said TO
have been impelled by the extreme
gravity of the situation
INDIANAPOLIS. Oct. 15.-Aftcr ap-
proving and sending on its way to the
1000 local unions in the country the
official order calling on all union
bituminous coal miners in the United
States to cease coal production at mid
night October 81, John J.. Lewis. act
ing president OF the United Mine Work
ers of America, left here late to day
for Washington to attend a conference
called By Secretary OF Labor Wilson,
with Thomas T. Brewster, president Of
the Coal Operators Association. MIR.
Lewis viii arrive in Washington late
tomorrow.
Determined on Course
Before leaving the city MI Lewis
declared that the only thing that could
prevent a strike Of the miners on No
vember ] would be the reaching OF an
agreement between the miners ana
operators representatives before that
date. Even if that should result from
the Washington conference, he SAID,
the agreement would not be binding
until it had been acted upon by the
miners at a reconvened convention. The
signing of the agreement by the repre-
sentatives Of the operators and miners
before November !, 1t was said, how
ever. would mean tie countermanding
Of the strike order issued to-day, at
least until the convention acted upon
the contract
The miners head would make no
prediction as TO the result Of the con-
ference IN Washington. In the mean
time, he said, preparations for the
strike would be continued as if the
conference were not in progress.
Will Protect Property
The official strike call permits local
unions TO assign "a sufficient number
of men to remain at work 70 insure the
proper care and protection OF all min
ing property, IN conformity with the
provisions Of district agreements II
also urges that fullest cooperation be
gwen the operator TO prevent INJURY
to property and asserts that under
no circumstances should this rule be
violated or set aside by local unions.
After asserting that the mine work
crs' repre- sentatives in the lolnt wage
conference made an earnest, sincere
attempt to negotiate new wage
agreement" and that the arbitrary at
titude of the operators, perslstently
maintained" resulted il final ad-
iournment Of the joint wage confer
ence in Philadel phia on October IL. tho
strike order declares that 1.-THE respon-
sibility for this action will accordingly
lie with the operators.
The Strike Order
Quoting as authority for issuing tho
strike call a resolution adopted at tho
international convention of the unson
in Cleveland on September %, the Oh
der continues:
Acting III conformity with the al
thority vested by the international
convention AS herein quotetd. the un-
dersigned executive officers of tns
United Mine Workers of America here
by direct all members &c sur organizs-
ton employed in and around the mines
of the bituminous coal producing dis
tricts within the jurisdiction cfEour