Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-17
Difference ON
COAL SITUATION
Mine Heads and Labor Repre-
Sentatives Meet in Phila-
deIphia Today
OPTIMISM PREVAILS
Strike Settlement is Looked
Forward to as Result OF
Meeting

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 17.-John
l.. Lewis, president of the United
Mine Workers and the district presl-
dent of the anthracite region, arrived
here shortly before II o'clock today.
for the conference with the hard
coal operators this afternoon in the
office of Samuei e. Warriner, presi-
dent of the Lehigh Coal & Naviga-
ton Company and head of the oper-
ators' negotiations committee.
The operators will be represented
by Samuel d. Warriner, chairman
of the Policies Committee; w. J..
Richards, president of the Philadel-
phia and Reading Coal and Iron
Company: w. w. Inglis, president of
the Glen Alden Coal Company, and
w. l.. Connell, president of the
Green Ridge Coal Company.
John l.. Lewis. president OF the
United Mine Workers. telegraphed
from Cleveland last night for reser-
vations at the Bellevue tford
for representatives of the hard-coal
miners. Mr.. Lewis will arrive in
Philadelphia this morning from
Cleveland. where he was detained III
concluding the settlement of the BIT
luminous strike. A private conference
room for the miners has also peer
engaged at the hotel.
! The miners will be represented by
Mr.. Lewis, w. j. Brennan. president
! District No. /; Thomas Kennedy
president District No. 7, and &. j
Golden. president l. let No. 3.
If the anthracite operators and the
officers of the United Mine workers
reach an agreement this week IL Is
believed a call will be issued at once
for a ri-district convention at
Wilkes-Barre to ratify such actlon'
According to the terms OF the
Shamokin convention agreed TO Dy
the miners January 20 either the
convention or referendum vote Is
necessary before the men are order
ed back to work.
Announcement from the district
presidents at Pottsville last night
called for a probable meeting next
Tuesday at Wilkes-Barre in the
event of an agreement before that
time. 1t was not expected. however.
that final decision could be reach
ed by the miners before Thursday
or Friday of next week.
The referendum vote among the
miners would require at least two
weeks whereas the convention can
be called in much shorter time.
Members of the National Executive
Committee from the Schuylklll dis
trict last night in Pottsville declared
the convention plan the better one
and the one more likely to be fol-
lowed in the event of an agreement
here.
Many of the anthracite mines are
in bad condition as a result of the
long suspension. Operators said
many of them would require from a
month to six weeks to get in safe
condition for operation. 1t VIII prob
ably take even a longer period be-
fore normal mining can be resumed
Allowing a week for negotiations
between the miners representatives
and the operators in this city. and
the time for calling the miners con-
vention. operators do not feel that
normal production can be resumed
before October.
The session this afternoon is not
expected to last for any length OF
time. The obvious difficulties of the
situation probably will be all that
is discussed. followed by an adjourn
ment during which time both parties
can agree among themselves on their
separate proposals.
A second meeting will be held,
when the proposals can be present.
ed in turn and discussed openly.
The consistent refusal of the un-
ion officials to permit the men to
return to work even at the old rate
was reiterated yesterday by John
Stranb bo. vice president of District
| No. Q.
The position of the anthracite
scale committee is the same today
as il was April 1, in "egard to the
class of men. who will be permitted
| to work until satisfactory agree
! ment has been reached between the
! workers and employers" Mr.. Stram-
| bo declared.
His statement was issued to set at
| rest reports that miners officials are
permitting numerous men to return
to work in order to save the mines
from deterioration due to the pro
longed suspension.
Only maintenance men have con-
tinued to work in the mines during
the strike. They have been chiefly
engaged in preventing the mines
from flooding during their unoccu-
patton. They form about 10 per cent
of the 155.O00 men employed by the
operators. Approximately $4,000
anthracite miners are on strike.
CONTINUED on pnge ~