Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1919-10-18
CONFEREES FAIL
TOAVERT STRIKE
OF COAL MINERS
Second Effort to Bring
Peace in Bituminous In
dustry to Be Made Tues
day-Miners Blame Oper-
ators for Present Crisis
Sec. Wilson Powerless

WASHINGTON, Oct 17.-Failing af-
ter an all-day conference to avert a
strike of nearly 100000 bituminous
coal miners, called for the very eve
of winter, Secretary of Labor Wilson
tonight invited miners and operators
to send their full scale committees to
washington next Tuesday when an
other effort to bring about peace in
the industry was made.
Both sides accepted the invitation.
This did not offer any great hope,
however for representatives of the
operators stood firm in their deternin-
alton not to negotiate any demand for
six-hour day and not to deal with
the unions unless the strike, set for
November /, was called off
John L. Lewis, acting president of
the United Mine Workers of America,
showed that he was laboring under a
terrible strain when he left the meet
ing. Speaking to group Of reporters,
he said he had told Secretary Wilson
that the 80 members of his wage scale
committee would be here Tuesday to
meet an equal number from the other
side, but that it would be useless to
reconvene the joint interstate wage
conference unless the operators
changed their stone wall attitude" and
indicated a willingness to frame an
other agreement.
Thomas T. Brewster, chairman of
the operators of the central competitive
coal fields, which embraces the state
Of Illinois, Indiana Ohio and western
Pennsylvania, after sitting through the
day at a table with Secretary Wilson
and Mr.. Lewis. hurried away from the
secretarys office and refused to talk.
An hour or two later he sent word to
Mr.. Wilson that his scale committee
would be on hand for the joint con-
ference.
At the outset Secretary Wilson, sit
ting between Lewis and Brewster,
urged them to resume negotiations and
reconvene the joint wage conference
pointing out that he was making this
effort by direction of the presidents s
cabinet. Lewis indicated the grounds
on which the miners would negotiate
and after a recess Brewster returned
with a written statement outlining the
conditions under which the operators
would do the same. These were:
Indication of a willingness on the
part of the miners to carry out the
existing contract, which former Fuel
Administrator Garfield "attests is still
in effect"
Resembling of the strike order and
continuation Of work pending negotia-
tons; and that the understanding that
the negotiation not contemplate any
reduction in the hours Of labor below
the present standard of eight hours
day, six days a week.
On the heels of this, Brewster's
statement, addressed to Secretary Will
son sharply attacked collective bar
gaining.
"As pertinent to the questions in
volved," as he wrote, "the operators
deem it advisable to say that the coaI
operators of the central competitive
field had adhered to the principles and
practices of collective bargaining fol-
80 years with the largest body of or.
ganized labor in the United States an6
1t is our opinion that our scale nego-
| tiations have broken down and that
our contract has been abrogated BY
the miners union in their call for {
strike November /, because the present
system of collective bargaining does
not fix equal responsibility on the Law
upon the employer and the labor union
Our experience teaches us that nc
set of employers should agree to {
| system of collective bargaining which
does not make both parties to ths
contract equally liable and responsible,
for the observance of the terms of sucf
contract"