The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-15
tBy Associated Press)


CLEVELAND, Ohio, Aug. g.15.-Both
operators and miners TODAY ratified an
agreement to bring partial settlement
OF the soft coal strike. Formal signing
of the agreement went over until a
joint conference late this afternoon.
The mine workers will go into the
meeting with the operators prepared
to execute a contract" said John L.
Lewis, on adjournment of the miners
meeting.
The Philadelphia conference of min
ers with anthracite operators set for
tomorrow probably will be delayed un-
III thursday, it being expected that
Mr.. Lewis and other miner officials
will be required to remain here to
complete details of the soft coal set
tlement
Under the agreements, supplemental
contracts between the miners district
organizations and operators will be ex-
ecuted and in line with this provision.
Frank harrington, president of the Illi-
nols miners, and John Hessler. presi-
dent of the Indiana miners. announced
they would ask the operators of those
states to meet the union representa-
tives in conference next Friday.
To Select Commission
The Illinois meeting will probably
be at Chicago and the Indiana meeting
at Terre Haute. All soft coal operators
of the country are to be asked under
| the terms of the agreement to decide
upon the selection of an advisory com
/, mission which would be approved by
the president and its report TO be pre-
pared for use in making a new agree
ment next year, would be filed early in
January.
| Settlement Provisions
In brief the settlement provides
that the miners shall be returned to
| work at the same scale of wages that
/ were in effect when they went on
| strike; the new contract is to con
tinue in force until next April 1; the
/ agreement also provides for appoint
| ment of an advisory fact-finding com
mission, part of its duties being to
! consider future settlements of dis
putes in the coal industry.
The settlement came after week
spent in marking time here by operat-
ors and miners. Finally the show
down on the issue of compulsory arbi-
/ tration came, resulting in three big
operators Withdrawing from the CON
ference when President Lewis refused
to accede to the demand.
Invited Operators
Then the conference reorganize,I
and threw the doors open to all soft
coal operators. a quick agreement in
principle followed, with operators con-
trolling production of $4,000, 600 tons
annually committed to its adoption
The operators in the meeting have
mines in Ohio, West Virginia. Penn
sylvania, Indiana, Illinois and Michi
gan. Orders went forward from three
operators here today to their bosses
back home to get ready to speed I'D
coal production. Miners, too, were
confident that an early resumption of
work at scattered mines would re-
suit IN other operators hurrying their
acceptance of the agreement
A fundamental change in the urio,
system of collective bargaining was
brought about in the scale drafted
here. The retention of the centra
competitive field, comprising western,
Pennsylvania. Ohio, Indiana and TlN.
; nois, was the basis of negotiating n
contract, but was lost, and in its piac.,
! a reorganization conference. repre.
senting scattered mines in six states
! was set up. This change was the
main loss of the miners original de-
mands. Their demand, approved in
/ convention, for six-hour day and !
five-day week was not pressed.
CHICAGO, Aug. 15.-The settlement
reached at Cleveland was declared tc
l be unimportant because of the small
t tonnage involved in a statement is
? sued today by F. c. Honnold. secre
: tary of the Illinois Coal Operators :
sociation. The statement said fhf
Cleveland settlement will offer
istrong incentive for the less financial
ly secured companies to sign up wifi
the unions. but reaffirmed the inten
ton of the Illinois operators ito stane
. pat on any arbitration agreement.
PIERRE. S. D.. Aug. 15.-Deemin,
it imperative that the people of Soutl
: Dakota be fully advised as to the Sc
e riousness of the coal situation. Gov
4 ernor McMaster today made public
:. statement in which he pointed on
that information at hand showed
Il coal shortage inevitable. The eove,
p nor said that even il the coal strik
should be settled at once there woul,
still be use for much more coal fo
4 nd hoo