The New York herald., 1922-03-23
LAST MOVE TO AVERT
ANTHRACITE STRIKE
Final Effort Here To-day TO
Settle Trouble in the Hard
Coal Fields.
LITTLE HOPE OF PEACE
Lewis p;i.adicts 100000 Btu
min0us Miners Will Walk
Out April 1.
LITTLE HOPE OF PEACE

Before the miners representatives
leave for Cleveland to lay down pro-
gram for what John l., Lewis, presd ant
o. tho United Mine Workers OF Amer
ica. predicts will be the greatest strike
in the history of the coal industry. o
final effort will be made to-day to COM
pose the differences between the OPP
orators and the miners in the anthracite
coal fields.
THAR joint committee ON wage arbi-
tration met again yesterday at the
Union League Club and discussed for
four hours the demand OF the mine
workers for 20 per cent. increase In
the case of contract miners and of 81
day for time workers. There are no ne
sHtiations In progress between the op-
orators and miners in .the soft coal
fields, where Mr.. Lewis says $4,000 men
viii walk out on the night of March 81.
together with 10000 more in the an
.thracite fields.
The operators declined to comment on
the results of yesterdays session. bur
Mr.. Lewis said: I'VE have agreed upon
nothing. Although the operators have
declared they will not increase wages,
but Will demand that they be decreased.
they have not yet put specific proposals
petore the committee of eight. In the
meantime we are standing on our nine
teen demands for higher wages and
better working conditions"
Mr.. Lewis stated that so far as the
situation in the soft coal fields is con-
cerned. the miners are still willing to
meet the bituminous operators at any
time for the purpose of drawing up a
new wage scale agreement. He said no
further communication had been re-
ceiNcd from the Administration I'm its eff
Tort to bring about such meeting
Dispatches last night from ,rdianapo-
lis, headquarters OF the miners, stated
that officials of the union are apparently
without hope OF forestalling the strike
anu are prepared for a suspension Of
many weeks duration. There was a
general feeling that any wage confer
cncc with operators of the central COM
pctitive field. embracing Indiana, Iii
nois. Ohio and western Pennsylvania
would be doubtful until the big coal
stocks now on hand are depleted. These
are believed to be sufficient 10 met the
country's requirements for two months
The question whether the union will
depart from it's policy of not making
agreement in the soft coal fields until
scale has been settled for the central
competitive field. will be taken up by
the unions policy committee at the meet
ing in Cleveland tomorrow
-dr. Lewis pointed out yesterday that
the central field yields 200,0 900 tons
OF the '5o0.000,000 annually produced in
this country, and because of its location
is the predominating factor of competi-
tion in the soft coal business. For that
reason operators in other districts in
variably postpone agreement on a new
wage scale until they know what the
chief competitors arc willing to pay for
labor.
Mr. Lewis refused to consider
seriously the protest Of Frank Earring
ton. president of the Illinois bituminous
district against premature" strike
call. THE Illinois miners are with us
he said. "and the United Mine Workers
will present a solid front when the
strike becomes effective"