New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-31
Mine Owners
Refuse to Join
Men in Parlev
illinois and Indiana n
orators Take the Stand
That Government Alo,s
Can Act TO End Str;ls
Arbitration Is Only Hone
lewis Given Full Powe,
10 Act for the Workers
by international Board

CHICAGO, July 30.-The coal o,s,
ators of Illinois to-day telegraoh.s
John L. Lewis, president Of the Unit.
Nine Workers of America. refus;,,
lis request for joint meeting Of IL.
5perators' and miners scale ccmn,.
ees in an effort to settle the vrss,-.
trike OF day men in the Illinois m,,.,
The operators said they could es,..
into no negotiations unless the Wk..
irgton authorities, who were rssao.
sible for the existing contract, autho,.
ized the meeting. They also, said the,
would not meet the miners ofse;,l,
so long as the miners remain on str;ks
The operators requested that N,
Lewis insist that his men return ia
work and abide by the terms Of II,
existing contract until Federal Official.
.ear the mems grievances.
Miners Take No Action
The scale committee Of the central
competitive field, which met here To-
lay, adjourned after discussing the
strike situation, without taking snv
action.
Decision of the Illinois operators to
refuse Mr. Lewis's request for a con.
ference closes the case, so far as ths
operators are concerned, for the pres
ent. The Indiana operators took sini-
lar action and the mine owners OF Ohio
and Pennsylvania are understood here
to concur in the decision.
The next move, Z. c. Searls. presi-
dent of the Illinois Coal Operators
association, said tonight, must come
from the government. The operators
scale committee, he said, no longer
could function, as the government CON.
mission. which fixed the existing con.
tract rate between the operators and
miners, took over the powers Of the
scale board
There is no way, he said, for the
men and employers to get together, ex-
cept through government arbitration.
SPRINGFIELD, H., July 3O.-Rai!.
roads running through Springfield
have two days supply of coal on
hand and no prospects of more. Max.
ing this announcement tonight, The
Wabash Railroad and the Chicago 4
Alton representatives said they saw
farreaching curtailment of service i'm
mediately ahead Of them, and, unless
coal could be got from other states,
probable stoppage of nearly all traffic.
Eighty thousand striking miners in
illinois drew two weeks pay TO-DAY.
Some Of them were penalized as much
as Sl4 apiece because OF the strike, but
a majority of them were told the pen
atty Will not be imposed until the next
pay day.
The effect Of this fine, which By
the joint agreement is divided between
the individual operators and the oper-
ators' association. is problematical.
Operators here said it made some
miners angry, but led some Others,
whose finances are running short TO
show dissatisfaction with a long, drawn.
cut strike. The fine is So for the frs.
cay of strike and 81 for each add.
tional day.
ST. LOUIS, July 30.-The municipal
emergency coal committee tonight an.
nounced that numerous industries had
complained that their coal supplies
would be exhausted within the next
twenty-four hours as result Of the
miners strike, unless relief was forth
coming.
The committee announced it was
considering d plan to send represents
lives to the Kentucky coal fields to
obtain coal for essential industries
and institutions here.
PITTSBURG, Kan, July 3O.-Alsxan-
der Howat, district president of the
United Mine Workers, to-day wired
John L. Lewis, international president
at indianapolis, that Kansas miners
would use all the power in their COM
mand to compel the operators to re-
turn every dollar that was stolen from
their wages" Several thousand Kan
sas miners are idle in protest againss
fines imposed by operators because the
miners refused to work Saturdays.
Aowat's declaration was regarded by
operators as tantamount to defiance Of
The international president. Presiden.
Lewis, In recent telegram to the local
official. took the stand that the iv@day
week instituted by the miners and
which resulted in the assessments
levied by the operators, was violation
OF the union contract.