Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-04-05
Invitations Are Telegraphed
to Operators in Central
Competitive Fields to At
tend Farley, 4
WILL MAKE EFFORT /,
REACH AN AGREEMEM .
Borah Charges the Mine
Owners With Contract
Breaking in PreCipitating
Nationwide Strike.
(By The Associated Press.D

Washington. April A con
gressional effort at settlement of
the coal strike, particularly as It
involves the bituminous fields was
begun today when Chairman Nolan
of the house labor committee WAS
authorized to telegraph invitations
to number of representative op-
orators and officers of operators
associations in the central compe"
titive coal field to attend a meet"
ing with the miners union leaders
in Washington April 10, and at
tempt to reach an agreement.
At the same time. Senator Borah,
republican, Idaho. took occasion t.
say in the senate that drastic pub
lie action" might be demanded,
and to charge the operators with
contract breaking in pre- c!pitatinS
the strike.
Divergence of Views.
A possible divergence between
the views of members 81 congress
and those of the administration,
however, was seen when Attorney
General Daugherty issued state
ment reiterating that "the govern
ment is not undertaking to d. my
thing in the present situation ot
the coal matter declaring thai
"men have right TO quit work
and men have right 10 employ
other men," that the public was
not menaced with coal shortage
and that it was the du'g of local
authorities to maintain order
The government would not loof
with favor upon coal price in
creases. Mr.. Daugherty said. add
ing that he saw no reason at this
time to believe that disorder nigh.
be feared, but asserted that the
government will perform what
ever may be its duty in the prem
ises," if local and state agencies
cannot maintain peace, The house
committee action came after its
members had spent two days list
ening to it's discussion of the strik,
from the miners viewpoint by
John L. Lewis, president of the
United Mine Workers. MIR. Lewis
assured the committee he would
advise his associates to negotiate
with any Representative group"
Of operators from the central field.
which includes Illinois, Indiana,
Ohio and western Pennsylvania,
even though not all the operators
could be induced to deal again
with the union. The union. he in-
sisted. would not and could not
settle the dispute in other states
Il, ha CT IL
lished for a national wage level.
Worth Considering.
The committee decided to ap-
peal direct to the representatives
Of operators groups in the state5
named and Mr.. Lewis tonight de-
clared it "had put forward propu'
sition worth considering,
However, | have no notion of
what the operators will do" he
said.
During the hearings today, Mr..
Lewis defended the miners union
proposal to establish six-houi
day and five-day week, ore of the
demands originally made, scout
ing as absurd" a calculation by
Representative Black DEMOCRAT,
Texas, that this would occasion
an extra annual cost of s244,000.-
900 to the public for coal
History of Negotiations.
Discussing the history of wage
negotiations, Mr.. Lewis amplifi@d
the repeated charge that the btu
minous operators of the central
field had broken a contract with
the miners union in failing to con-
fer with its committee for a new
wage scale before the strike. The
fact. he said, in agreeing to sug-
gestion by Representative London,
socialist. New York, really gave
the strike all the aspects of lock-
out"
Mr.. Lewis arranged later to
leave for New York, to continue
the unions negotiations with an
thracite operators. The reason
ableness of the future wages was
the chief issue here, he said.
Basic Day Wage,
In reply to questions from Rep
sentative Black. Mr.. Lewis said the
"basic day wage" in coal mining
under present conditions was $3.50
a day. compared with $2.S4 In
1918, but the scale in the lattei
year, he added, was pauper
The house committee contem-
plates further inquiry into the
coal industry, with testimony from
expected to continue its hearing
both operators and miners and is
tomorrow,