The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-15
NATIONWIDE MINE
 STRIKE I TREAT |S
 BEING ADVOCATED
Convention Adjourns Until To- day Without Taking Action on Proposal of Scale
 Committee
By Associated Press

Indianapolis, Ind, February It. Threat of a nationwide coal strike April 1, of both bituminous and an thracite union miners. was proposed today to the special convention of the United Mine Workers of Amer ica by the unions scale committee as the weapon to preserve present basic wages for soft coal miners, and win increases for the anthracite workers.
 As soon as the report was pre- scented, the convention adjourned by an almost unanimous vote until t3- morrow without any action or de- bate on the scale proposal. Like wise the threatened fight in behalf of Alexander Howat the Kansas leader who was expelled from the union failed to come before the two thousand delegates but 1t was said it might develop later.
 While no debate developed in the convention over the scale committee report, which included a small set of demands and a policy for action by the convention the delegates held informal conferences throughout the day, debating the various proposals. Apparently the majority view coin cided with that of the union off cials who were said authoritativeiy to have sought by the report to win public opinion to the miners, and also force the coal operators into a joint wage conference with the union.
 What Committee Demands
 In brief the committee demands in cluded the following; Refusal to ac- cept any wage reductions in soft coal fields, the fight being to preserve DF @ n a los uif eral increase; adjustment of "inequit- able differentials" within and be- tween districts, entailing wage ad- vances for some miners; increase of 20 per cent in wages for anthra- cite tonnage workers, and q day for day laborers; abolition of the automatic penalty clause for lining miners or operators violating working agreements; limitation of the eight hour day to the time Of entry and exist from the mine, pay and one half for overtime, double pay for Sunday and holiday work, and weekly, instead of biweekly or monthly pay.
 As a preface to the demands the report declared any wage cuts would reduce miners pay so as to bring poverty, suffering and degradation in many mining localities" and add ed, i've do not believe the public asks that it's fuel needs be supplied at the expense of degraded citizen ship"
 Must Continue Conferences
 As an addendum to the demands the report declared as statement of pol icy that the coal operators must con tinue joint wage conferences with the union or stand publicly charged with breach of contract" 9 provision of the existing agreement being cited as committing both miners and oper- ators to joint negotiations this year. After directing that further efforts be made to get conferences, the re- port referred to all agreements end ing on March 31. and then made this declaration:
 Tn the event no agreement is reached by April l, we declare in fa- vor of general suspension of mining operations, such action being subject to a referendum vote to the member ship of the union mine workers, such vote to be held prior to March 31."
 While no reference to the check off" system, by which operators withhold union dues from miners wages. was made in the report. union officials said that 1t was generally understood in the coal industry that the union would fight to retain this provision in existing agreements and extend the plan if possible
 Attending the convention as lob servers" are Harry B. Dynes of this city and W. H. Rogers, former presi- dent of the Iowa miners, who are now employed as labor conciliators by the federal department of labor They said they were here to observe the convention's proceedings. and were understood to be forwarding daily re- ports to Secretary Davis.