Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-03-29
COAL STRIKE SURE. !.
UNLESS A MIRACLE.
SHOULD D|NTERVENE
Anthracite Conferees Gird
Themselves to Battle
Over 19 Demands.
UNAFRAID Of THREAT
OF IMPORTED SUPPLY
Miners Official Declares Shipments
of British Bituminous Could Be
But Drop in Bucket.

BY the Associate ted Press.
NEW YORK, March %. - Casting
aside as a remote" possibility the
prospect of settling their difficulties
in time to avert the general strikes
set for three days hence, members of
the anthracite subcommittee on wage
themselves for a long, hard struggle
over the miners nineteen demands.
Nothing but a miracle - the i'm.
mediate acceptance of each and every
one OF our demands-can avert the
strike now." said Thomas Kennedy,
district president of the United Mine
Workers.
Under the present circumstances.
1t is probable that the suspension
to the miners program" said S. D.
Warriner, vice president of the Le-
high Coal and Navigation Company.
Although sanguine of the ultimate
success of the negotiations now in
progress. the six other members of
posed of union chiefs and mine
operators, were convinced that the
mines would be evacuated Saturday.
With discussion of the miners de-
mand for a 20 per cent increase
scheduled to begin today, after two
weeks devoted to general surveys of
economic and labor conditions in the
mines of Pennsylvania, union chiefs
and mine operators began to drift
into the city to be at the scene of
developments.
." VIII Act ms Advisers.
Among the latter were a dozen of
the men who signed the suspension
agreement at Shamokin last January.
With the operators came c. F. Huber.
president of the Lehigh and Wilkes
barre Coal Company, and John
Humphrey. president of the I.ehigh
Valley Coal Company. They will act
as unofficial advisers to the commit
tee of eight while the most important
of the wage demands are under dis
cussion.
Phillip Murray. vice president of
the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea, scouts the report that importa-
tion of British-mined soft coal will
lessen the danger of bituminous
coal shortage and thereby hurt the
cause of the miners in the forthcom-
ing strike.
I'VE are not afraii of the British
COAL" he said. ut has been i'm
ported before without seriously af-
fecting the mining industry or the
market in America.
Amy attempt on the part of the
United States Shipping Board to i'm
port foreign coal probably would
have the sympathy of the public and
thereby create sentiment against the
strike. But the actual effect toward
prevention of shortage or extern
sion of the available supply would be
negligible.
Compared with the weekly pro-
duction of the American mines and
the weekly consumption by American
industries. all the coal that could be
brought from England would not
amount to drop in the bucket"
Insistent Upon Check-On
AS the wage negotiations proceed
the miners are becoming more and
more determined that the next con-
tract shall contain an inviolable pro-
vision for installation Of the check
off system in all anthracite mines.
One member of the committee of
eight last night declared that unless
such provision was made all negotia-
pending strike would amount to
nothing.
While Mr.. Murray of the United
Mine Workers declined to say how
far the anthracite men were prepared
to push their demand for the check
off, Mr.. Kennedy of district No. de-
clared that "as conditions are in the
mining industry, it has become one
of the most vital points at ISSUE"
Mr.. Warriner of the operators dis
cusSeu tne question Oh tne miners
demands for the check-off with the
statement that it has come up in
every wage conference in the last
twenty years" I'VE do not attach
any more significance on this occa-
sion than we have in the past" he
said.
The miners assert that the check
off already is applied by the opera
tors in the collection of rents, light,
water and fuel assessments by SUBJ
tracing the amounts from the work.
ers' pay envelope. They seek to have
this system extended to the collection
Of dues, asserting that it already is
common practice in the bituminous
fields, and has been declared legal by
the United States Supreme Court.