Evening star., 1920-03-21
HARD COAL STRIKE
/ IS YET UNCERTAIN
Workers Committee Will De-
eide Tuesday if They Will
Act on April |.

NEW YORK, March 20.-The an
thracite mine operators were notified
today that the general scale commit
tee, representing the mine workers
Of the hard coal region. Will decide
next Tuesday whether there shall be
3 suspension of work April 1 pending
the outcome of the negotiations for
new wage agreement.
The request of the operators that
the 10000 miners in the anthracite
field remain at work after March 81,
when the present agreement expires,
was discussed at three-hour session
of the scale committee. The commit
teemen were almost unanimous in the
opinion that work should be suspend
ed April unless the operators agreed
to make any wage award retroactive.
Oinc-a!s OF me miners union ad-
dressed the committeeman. asking
them not TO be too hasty" in taking
action on this important question
They explained that it would be ad-
VISIBLE to wait until Tuesday, as
there e a possibility of something
definite being done by that time to-
ward an award to the bituminous
workers.
Thomas Kennedy. president OF dts
trict No. I, United Mine Workers, pre-
siued At the meeting, which was ex-
ecutive.
afternoon of the subcommittee of
miners and operators appointed to
negotiate new wage agreement accei
ed the decision of the scale committee
without comment.
Loses Hope of Agreement.
Hope of speeding up the negotia-
tions and reaching an agreement by
April 1 has been virtually abandoned
by the subcommittee, 1t was learned .
to-day. The progress has been slow
up to the present time and the argu- +.
mentS lengthy. The operators have !
not presented any counter proposals.
The operators are understood 10 be !
planning to fight hard against any
concrete regulation of the working
hours in the anthracite industry. /!
They point out that any interruption /,
|of the working schedules will mean !
more expensive overhead charges and |
lin other ways affect the cost Of pro- /
duction. !
While the members of the subcom /
mittee deny that any disposition has
been made of any of the demands. it j
was learned today that an under |
|standing has been reached on some /
|of the less important clauses Some /
|of these demands affect only certain |,
|sections CT the anthracite region.
The important demands, such as wage !
increases, shorter hours and recosni-
tion of the union, have been held up |
pending a decision in the bituminous I
situation. The subcommittee, however, !
has been hearing argument on these |
questions from time to time, but has
delayed definite action, with the hope !,
of having the soft coal award as /
basis for an anthracite agreement. /
VIII Wait Until Tuesday.
I'VE are going to wait until Tues /
day for the bituminous award" Philip i
Murray, International vice president |
Of the United Mine Workers, said to- 4
might. 'If nothing comes out of Wash l
ington by that time, 1t will be up to 1
us to make our own contract and for 1
get about the soft coal situation"
The official statement issued by the |
subcommittee at the close of today's |,
conference follows:
'"The subcommittee of anthracite II
operators and miners met today and Il
continued the consideration of the II
mass of figures presented by the Il
miners, covering the increase In the II
cost of living and it's relation to the II
request of the miners for increase in II
wages. The miners representatives II
argued the figures presented by them Il
to substantiate their claim for higher II
wages. Copies of all of the data sub II
United were read into the record and II
will be considered by the operators"
The committee adjourned to meet /
next Monday.