The New York herald., 1922-03-16
HARD COAL MINERS
SUBMIT 10 DEMANDS
n Operators and 80 Union
Officials Begin Confer
ence Here.
TIME LIMIT MARCH 81
Workers Seek Wage In
crease and Shorter Work
inc Hours.
FARLEY no REST A DAY
Reply From Employers Is Due
Tomorrow, and a Refusal
Is Expected.
FARLEY no REST A DAY

" the ton, and 81 a day for those
who work by the day, were formally
presented TO the operators yesterday
nj 4 joint meeting at the Hotel Penn
sylvania.
When the union officials finished
reading and explaining their demands
- this took two and three quarters
hours-the conference was adjourned
to 2:3O p. M. tomorrow. At that time
tile operators will give their reply.
1t is expected this will consist Of
counter proposals amounting to an al
most 100 per cent. denial Of the union
demands and an inslstence that wages
must be reduced, possibly 20 per cent.
The negotiations are then expected to
follow the traditional course, with ref
crence Of both sets of proposals to
joint subcommittee which will try to
effect an agreement before March 81.
when the two years. agreement under
which the miners are now working will
expire.
Nothing was learned from either side
yesterday to dispei the impression that
a strike. or suspension as they call It.
Of the 130,00 union miners in the an
thracite field will begin on April /. The
operators apparently stand by their an
nouncement made several weeks ago
that wages must come down in con-
formity with lower living costs and
make coal cheaper to the public. The
miners continue to insist that il is not
wages but wasteful mining and distri-
button methods and too much profit be-
tween the mine and the consumer, that
make coal so high.
Union leaders also have charged the
operators with welcoming a shutdown
of several weeks because it would en-
able them TO get rid of their large sur
plus without cutting prices. 1t is ind-
Gated that the miners also would not be
averse to a layoff, during which the
new agreement could be negotiated.
The conference started yesterday has
no direct bearing on conditions in the
bituminous fields. where a strike is ex-
pected to begin on April /. The bitum-
nous operators have declined to meet
the United Mine Workers to negotiate
new national agreement.
Anthracite operators met in groups in
several hotels last night to exchange
views. All of them declined to state
their intentions in advance OF to-mor-
rows meeting. AS the operators have
had the miners demands in their hands
Tor some time ii is assumed their answer
IS about completed. 1t was reported.
however, that they had not agreed on A
detinitc percentage of wage reduction
ana that Few OF the companies favored
renewal OF the present agreement
Undisturbed by the incongrlIitv of
names. the coal owners and miners had
for yesterdays meeting place the But
terly Room on the roof of the Pennsyl-
vania Hotel. There were seventy-f four on
orators and thirty-nine workers repre-
scnting the union. There was no show
Of bad feeling. The chairman was Will
lam r. Connell. president Of the Green
Ridge Coal Company, who is an 'inde-
pendent and q member of the anth IA
cite board OF conciliation. The demands.
formulated by the United Mine Workers
~ Shamokin, Pa, in January and rati-
iiei BY their international convention In
indianapolis last month. were read by
their president. John T.. Lewis. The
nineteen clauses were then explained by
him. by the three district presidents OF
thc union-Chris Golden or Shamokin
W. j. Brennan of Scranton and Thomas
Kennedy of 1Iazleton-and by Andrew
Mattcy. yice-prcsident OF the Hazleton
district. When they finished the meet
Ing was adjourned on motion OF Samuel
r. Warriner OF Philadelphia. president
RI the Lehigh Coal and Navigation
Company. chairman OF the operators
general policies committee.
The meeting was closed to all except
the participants. but the mine workers
gave out summary OF the points COW
cred by their spokesmcn.
II was explained that the demand for
two year contract and prohibition OF
individual agreements and contracts in
the mining of coal was intended to pre-
vent "the establishment OF the vicious
subcontracting system and to eliminate
such subcontracts as now exist"
Tho wage demand was thus explained:
The contract miners since 1916 have
only received an increase of 65 per cent
IN their wage scales. whereas the living
costs have doubled and remained so for
Z number OF years Thus contract men
received approximately 40 per cent. less
In increases than the living costs
amounted TO. In part payment for the
losses sustained due to inadequate in
creases and in keeping with the higher
standards OF living, plus the hazard OF
the industry, II Ia contendcd that con-
tract miners are at least entitled TO the
increase demanded. The minimum rate
for day men is now $500. II Is neces-
sary 10 mako this $500 in order to on
10y saving wage and a wage commen-
surnte with the hazard and risk OF the
industry.
For the last several years, especially
since 1917 the wages OF anthracite
miners have failed 20 keep pace with
the rising cost of living. As a result
losses have been borne by the workers
during the time that the operators, the
wholesaler and the retailer have enjoyed
profts In excess OF anything they have
hitherto known. Even taking into ac-
count the relatively small drop in the
cost of living since June and July 1920.
y would require a present increase in
day rates OF at least "a per cent. "a
cnualize the wages from the cost of
living standpoint alone.
This does not consider the necessity
or paying a wage on which the workers
can support their families and save suf-
1cient to guard against unemployment
sickness and unproductive old age Five
hundred lives are lost each year in the
anthracite industry. Twenty thousand
persons arc injured each year. These
figures justify our contention that the
wages should be raised 70 the s5.cO
minimum"