Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-11-15
Operators and Men
Agree to Negotiate

Continued From Page Ore
United Mine Workers was recognized
You asked the United Mine Workers
some weeks ago to negotiate II wage
scale covering the central competitive
Held. he said, ''and they agreed. rhe
operators answer to the same request
was, refusal unless the strike was
withdrawn. Again we hear u refusal
of the proposition made by YOU as a
representative OF The federal govern
ment
"Iiow long is this situation to con
tlnue. the mine workers accepting
every request of the federal govern
ment and these men on the other side
accepting nothing? 1t is unfair that
one side of this controversy should be
constantly influenced to yield by coer-
cion and moral pressure. The question
now IS when will the government tell
the operators what they must do.
The federal government has dragged
the workers representatives into court
and told them what to do.' Green said.
Every American is interested in the
miners getting Il decent American wage
and that thought should be uppcrmost
IN the minds of federal government off
Gals. III 1t takes 80 per cent increase
OF wages the federal government should
see that they get it,
Bitter In My Heart and Soul
II take exception to the statement of
the chairman that the demands of the
miners are impossible. Let's not preiu
dlce the miners case before the public
before we have gone into conference,
Our government has treated the
miners unfairly. | feel bitter in heart
and Splll ppUnpIinU ihn of ha
ernment has taken. The miners have
not been given u fair trial.
B. Nj. Clark, president of the ASSoci-
alton of Bituminous Coal Operators in
Central Pennsylvania, expressed amaze
ment at the charges of bad faith in the
face of the walkout on November | ''in
violation of contract
For many years. said he. "the
operators in central PENNSYLVANIA have
made contracts with the mine workers
in district No. ,. which have invari =
ably recognized the rights of organized
labor, and not in one single instance
have the miners kept those contracts. -
Mr.. Clark cOntended that Pemnsyl-
vania operators should negotiate their
own contracts and that the difficulties
of other states should not be dragged
into the discussion.
gotiations, he said. on the basis sug
gasted by President Wilson. and they
would not ask the mine workers to re-
sumo work as condition of resuming
negotiations
Phil II. Penna. of Terre Haute. de :
clared the operators thought that
Secretary Wilson made a serious mis-
take in raising the old question of en-
larging the central competitive field.
Mr.. Penna reatfirmed his position
that the central competitive district
would not consent to enlargement of
the field. but that it was not their in
tention to prevent outlying operators
from meeting and making their own
agreements. He predicted that there
would not be Il general resumption of
production before the end of 1920, and
then only after innumerable strikes.
il the conference adopted a basic scale
for the whole country
Chicago. Nov. 15.-(By A. P.)-
Virtually no increase in the number of
bltumlnouS coal miners returning to
work was looked for today, Saturday
generally having been regarded as al
least a half holiday at many of the
country's Mines Aside from that the
miners seem intent to stand on their
expressed determination not to return
to work, despite recall of the strike
order last Tuesday John l.. Lewis, act
ing president Of the United Mine Work
ers of America, until operators and
miners now meeting at Washington eff
feet an agreement on new wage scale.
Meanwhile the threatened fuel short
age in many places became more omi
nous, with the advent of real winter
weather. At Chicago the available sup
ply of coal had been diminished to $50,
900 tons and the regional coal commit
tee restricted fuel ALLEGATIONS.
Improvement in the general situation
was shown today in Wyoming, however,
1000 miners agreeing to return to work
at once under settlement of the con +,
troversy between miners and opera :
tors.
Pittsburgh, Nov. 15.r-(By A. P.)--
Coal operators Of western Pennsylvania
announced today that while only q
small number of union miners had re-
turned to work during the last two days,
they believed all mines in the district
would be working by Monday. Pitts
burgh's coal supply was materially in
creased today by heavy shipments from
West Virginia and increased produc
tion by non union mines in this district.
Or. Finley Lectures Today