Bisbee daily review., 1922-03-10

of Labor Davis today broke the si- lence which he has maintained during the 10 days in which inc government has actively sought intervention iu The impending coal strike. to urge mine operators and the miners union fin the name of common sense. 10 get together and save the country from the costly results of a strike" The government had no desire to interfere unduly, he announced, but "has q duty to safeguard the interests of the peO- pie who will be seriously affected by the suspension Of coal mining"
 Although no immediate responses were received at the secretary's of- flee after the statement was issued. press dispatches immediately reflect ed the interest taken in it by repre- sentatiyes of unions and operators in the country's widespread coal fields. Official reports to the department. however. were concerned largely with details concerning the dissensiOn ir the miners organization. where Frank Harrington, the Illinois leader. and some other district heads. are said to be beginning local negotiations in de- fiance of the policy of President John l.. Lewis and the national executive board of the United Mine Workers. The departments agents have been assured that miners locals in nearly all sections throughout union fields are overwhelmingly voting to strike April r. bus this information has been discounted to a degree, officials said, because strike vote is quite often taken so the committees assign | ed to negotiate the issues can act with fullest authority.
 ' INDIANAPOLIS, Mar. 9.-By The Associated Press.)-Hope of averting : a nationwide strike of soft coal min
 CTS on April 1 rests with the coal
 operators of western Pennsylvania,
 Ohio, Indiana and Illinois accepting the appeal of Secretary of Labor
 Davis for a wage conference of op- orators and miners, according to the ] statement here tonight of President
 John l.. Lewis of the United Mine 1 Workers of America. The union.
 Lewis declared, is ready to meet the
 operators of the four states, which
 comprise the central competitive field.
 lat any time and place."
 Declaring that the operators were
 morally bound" to meet the miners
 in the conference, Lewis added:
 up to this time, we have failed to
 bring the operators into a conference
 and the only thing We can hope for
 now is that the government at Wash
 ington may succeed in bringing suffi-
 cient pressure to bear on these opera
 tors to compel them to meet us as
 they agreed to do."
 ST. LOUIS, Mar. 9.-(By The As sociated Press. )-Illinois coal opera
 tors and miners will attend any con
 ference called by Secretary of Labor
 Davis with view of averting the
 threatened coal strike April ], both
 sides declared today.
 Frank Harrington, president of t'
 United Mine Workers of America in
 Illinois, was frankly skeptical, how ever, that any good could come through governmental intervention at
 this stage.
 Harrington and John l.. Lewis of the mine workers, who are at outs, have , been carrying on telegraphic con
 troversy for several days over the Hi , nois presidents announced intention , to confer with Illinois operators sep
 arately if Lewis does not succeed in , getting all four states in the central } field together.
 Harrington said today that he would call a state convention at } Peoria. H., shortly, to select a wage . scale committee to confer with the
 illinois operators unless President
 Lewis says definitely that the inter- r state conference will be arranged.