New-York tribune., 1919-10-28
Refusal of Operators to
Negotiate a New Wage
Agreement Is Held Re-
sponsible for Walkout
Is District Chiefs
TO Meet Tomorrow
Government Blamed for
Not Forcing Owners to
Discuss New Contract


fronted by the demand of President
Wilson that the strike call, which
would stop production of soft coal in
the United States, be rescinded, John
l.. Lewis, acting president of the United
Mine Workers of America, tonight by
telegraph invited twenty-five district
presidents of coal producing states and
members of the miners scale commit
tee to meet with the international eX-
ecutivc board at 10 A. NJ. Wednesday
to consider the strike issue.
The action of Mr. Lewis, he stated,
was prompted by desire to move with
full delberation in situatisn, the
seriousness of which cannot be gain
said.
Thirtytwo members constitute the
full scale committee of the central COM
petitive field, which comprises the
states of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and
westers. Pennsylvania.
Declines to Forecast Action
"District presidents and members of
the scale committee are being called
in," President Lewis said, "to counsel
with the executive board by reason
of the Presidents statement. What
final action will be taken / cannat pre-
sumo to forecast"
The execlSiye board would have au-
thority. he stated, to postpone or sus-
pend the strike order. subject to the
will of the membership of the union.
Before sending the telegram TO the
district presidents Mr.. Lewis, who
was then preparing to go to Indian
apolis to take charge of the strike sit
uation, declared the strike order was
still i'll effect and the 500 600 miners
in the bitumnous field would walk out
to a man unless the operators made
concessions.
"Thc statement of President Wilson
opposing the strike thus far has had no
results, so far as we are concerned" ;"
he stated. Lewis said no word reached
him from government sources during
the day.
Lewis expectes to reach indianapolis
at 2:4O p. m. tomorrow where he will
make preparations for the meeting
Wednesday Of the international execu-
tive board. He said tonight he ex-
pected no developments prior to this
conference.
Average Pay Declared $1,22S
Branding statements that coal miners
were earning $40 or SIS a day as
"absurd." Mr.. Lewis said the average
PoJ VI Htilteio III Cuc luminous ueiO
for 1918, which he declared was the
best twelve months in mine workers
annals, was $l,22S. He refused to
say what the maximum earnings of
a miner under favorable circums tances
might be, but said the earnings of
day men" amounted to between S425
layers. drivers, mechanics and laborers
Con dlrtrprc bp StatnI L-a
money than that.
He explained that wages of miners
were curtailed by the fact that mines
operate on the average only three or
four days week. This condition, he
said, made necessary shorter day and
week in order to furnish continuous
employment, as embraced in wage de-
mands suggested by miners early in
the conferences. Other demands in
cludc 60 per cent increase in wages,
time and half for overtime, elimina-
tion of the strike penalty clause, etc.
Holds Operators Responsible
In statement issued tonight he
said, to clear up popular misapprehen-
sions about exactly what took place
in the joint conferences, Mr.. Lewis
strike on the operators. The state
ment follows:
"At the biennial convention of the
United Mine Workers at Cleveland,
September 8 to %, attended by 2,046
delegates, q wage program and policy
were outlined and scale committees
were selected who were instructed to
present demands to the operators.
"On September 25, at Buffalo. the
miners and operators met in joint
committee. The miners presented
their demands and were met by blunt
statement that the Washington agree
mcnt had not expired because the war
was not ended and peace had not been
promulgated by the President.
No Counter Proposals
"No counter proposals were submit
ted by the operators, who seemingly
were determined to avoid making a
new agreement. This committee ad-
journed for week and reconvened in
Philadelphia on October 8, where the
same circumstances obtained and sine
die adjournment took place on Octo-
Der II.
THE miners insisted at all times that
they were ready to consider demands
from the standpoint of merit alone. but
consideration on this basis was denied
by the operators.
Ihc government. in conferences
with operators and miners last week at
Washington. cndeavt to secure n re-
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