Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-01-23

This correspondent also is author
lied to state on behalf Of the United
| Mine Workers that a strike by them
is regarded as inevitable. unless the
operators change their present plan of
procedure. There appears to be no
prospect Of such change. Further,
officials Of the United Mine Workers
have reached a tentative agreement
| covering the following points:
Union miners will go on strike
throughout the country March 81 I'M
less an agreement is reached with the
operators on or before that date. The
miners do not propose to pick up their
tools and dig coal until there is def
mite understanding as to their wages.
In other words, the procedure of
1919 will not be repeated. At that
time the miners resumed work. while
the question Of wages was being ad,,
justed. They worked for several
months while President wilson's
bituminous wage commission took tes-
timony and formulated an arbitration
decision. The miners regarded the de-
cision as unsatisfactory. but were
bound to abide by it. They don't pro-
pose to be bound by decision again
in any such manner.
soSo"o0s Nbi 00uVuSo DoS
Whatever agreement is reached
must be in the nature of national
agreement. The miners, don't propose
to reach 81 kinds of agreements cover
ing as many fields. They are out for
an agreement covering at least a big
representative cross section of the coal
fields. such as the central competitive
field. which will serve as the basis for
wage agreements in the OUTLYING dis
tricts.
3-An increase Of wages will be de-
manded of operators next month The
increase will be justified. the miners
claim. by showings of miners earn
ings. The amount of the miners pay
rather than the wage scale will be
made the basis of the claim The
wage scale doesn't do much good at
present, the miners assert. when
working time varies from one to three
days a week.
1.-THE miners expect the coal
operators to follow their usual pro-
cedure and open. shortly, an extensive
publicity campaign in which the public
will be urged to buy coal heavily in
anticipation of strike. They also
expect the operators to court public
good will through the presentation of
miners earnings in certain favored
fields.
Means Two Publicity Campaigns
They expect to combat this effort
with publicity campaign of their
own showing actual earnings of hun
dreds of thousands of their workers.
These earnings. the miners say. have
been 50 low that in many fields the
workers have suffered extreme hard
ship for the actual necessities of life.
At all events, it appears that Sec
rotary Hoovers warning this week of
a strike April ! was couched in most
conservative language. Both operat
ors and miners are chatting for show
down. Both sides are certain it is
coming: both sides are fully prepared;
both sides are confident of winning
and both sides expect it to be fight
to the finish, unless the government
intervenes as it did in 1919.
Government viii Intervene
There is strong prospect that the
government will intervene. President
Harding is taking an active interest in
the impending struggle and has d.
rected Secretaries Hoover and Davis
to keep their fingers on the pulse of
the situation. The president per-
sonally has been advised of legislation
already enacted through which there
may be opportunity to soften the blow
of the ntaion- wide strike when it falls.
1t also is reliably reported that the
president has under consideration ad-
ditional legislation which may be pro
posed shortly. looking to strengthen
ing the governments hand in dealing
with such situation as now appears
inevitable